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A little history of Rochebonne castle

The castle | Ansesolo / CC-BY-SA
Castle Mme de Sévigné Rochebonne castle

In the past fief of the Fougères family, then Châteauneuf family with the marriage of Huguette de Fougères with Pierre de Châteauneuf-Rochebonne in 1577, the current castle was raised by Charles-François de Rochebonne, archbishop of Lyon between 1731 and 1740.

Last member of the family (his 5 sisters entered a convent and his 3 brothers died in war), our lord undertook the construction of a new castle in 1720.

The famous writer Madame de Sévigné, daughter-in-law of the marquise de Rochebonne, Thérèse d'Adhémar de Grignan, often came to see her in her castle.

In 1688, she said: "I find so much politeness at the top of this mountain. The lady of the house is noble, pretty, worthy of being loved".

Fell to Jean-Antoine Rique, King's secretary, in 1740, then to chevalier Jean-Baptiste de Nervo in 1778, the castle was described as "flanked by two big round towers with its dependencies, a wash-house, dovecote, terrace, wine-grower's house, a huge fruit orchard..."

About the the author

Vinaigrette
I'm fond of strolls and History, with juicy and spicy details!