A little history of Vaire-le-Grand castle
And also
The tops
Boisot’s castle
Men, since the Gallo-Roman era, occupied the place, near river Doubs... In the 11th century, the fief belonged to Gauthier de Vaire, then it fell to mighty lords of Chalon-Arlay. But soon, the Boisot family turned up...
In 1678, Gabriel Boisot owned Vaire: he was general prosecutor in Besançon parliament. An important chap!
At that time, Boisot couldn’t bare the old medieval fortress any more... he had to live in one of the current detached houses, in the courtyard! Enough with that...
He decided to rebuild a brand new castle! And lay out formal gardens, composed of ponds and vast lawns...
In short, Gabriel Boisot raised a real gem, a gem his son Jean-Antoine inherited.
Boisot’s son
In fact, this one completed the building site in 1717. His father, when he died, gave him his fortune... but Antoine was a big spender!
We know he had a beautiful golden berline, with silk inside, which cost 4 000 livres. He ordered clothes and foods, precious furniture for his castle...
In short, Antoine was quickly ruined: in 1748, he sold Vaire to ladies d'Etrabonne, relatives...
Our castle then fell to several owners... even to Boussac firm, who transformed it into a summer camp centre! Fortunately, nowadays we can visit it.