Château de Sully

The Sully Castle is a moated castle in the Bourgogne village of Sully, Saône -et -Loire, about 14 kilometers northeast of Autun.

Built from the mid-16th century on the foundations of a previous medieval system, it is the largest Renaissance palace Südburgunds. The French author Marie de Rabutin -Chantal, marquise de Sévigné described it in one of her letters as " Fontainebleau Burgundy " (French for " Fontainebleau de Bourgogne ").

Since 4 July 1995, the castle stands as a monument historique a historical monument.

• 2.1 The beginnings in the Middle Ages
• 2.2 New building in the Renaissance
• 2.3 The MacMahon as lords of the castle
• 2.4 Current use

Description

Chateau de Sully is a closed four-wing building, the western farm buildings are upstream. The castle island is encircled by a moat which is fed by the Drée, a tributary of the Arroux. Surrounded is the castle of a 25-hectare castle park in the English landscape style in which a statue of Marshal Patrice de Mac -Mahon stands that was formerly in Algiers.

Architecture

Outbuildings

West of the main castle is a large, lawn overgrown courtyard, flanked on the north and south of the former farm buildings dating from the 17th century. Some buildings in the north were once used as stables, which is documented by a horse sculpture above the central entrance. In another northern building is a theater dating from 1840.

Main lock

The main castle rises on a nearly square plan. Its four wings are bounded by four diagonally placed corner towers with tent roof, small viewing platform and lantern. Its rustic basement is built of massive rough stone. Above him are two more floors, the top of it with Ionic pilasters rise. The corner towers may still come from the previous system of the present castle.

The portal is located in the western façade. It is crowned by a triangular pediment, the two Moors shows that once held the crest of the Morey family. Today, the latter is replaced by a clock.

The exterior facade of the south wing dates from 1923 and is decorated in neo-renaissance style. It has two tour Ellen that frame a centrally -standing tower. In this, the chapel is in Neo-Gothic style.

The eastern wing was redesigned in the 19th century, but still contains buildings of an earlier building dating from the 15th century, and has on its outer side a pediment from the 18th century.

The northern exterior is dominated by a monumental staircase that leads to a large upstream garden terrace with Balustergeländer. The facade of the wing of the building dates back to the 18th century and has a tri-part central with Fronton on.

The facades of 39.8 × 36.10 -meters-in courtyard, reminiscent of the Castle of Ancy -le-Franc, are designed much more uniform and are from the period from the late 16th to early 17th century. Its architectural decoration is much more complex than that of the exterior facades. The east wing has a central pavilion which projects from the facade towards the courtyard.

From the original interior of the castle is scarcely get something because of numerous modifications and alterations. Exceptions are the staircase in the south wing, its present condition from the time of Louis XV. comes, and a richly carved wooden ceiling over the gallery in the castle chapel.

Park and garden

The English landscape garden of the castle dates from the 19th century and is crossed by numerous trenches. In its eastern part there is a large pool of water, in its south- eastern part of a chapel from the late 12th or early 13th century, which serves as the grave place of the present castle lords. The most valuable trees of the park several hundred year old trees such as oaks, sycamores, tulip trees and nut trees are American.

Behind the southern economy building there is a symmetrically designed, restored vegetable garden, which is surrounded by fruit trees. With its geometric planting he is a typical vegetable garden from the Renaissance period. His harvest is sold in the castle's own store. The garden includes a gazebo, a dovecote and a fish pond.

History

The beginnings in the Middle Ages

Sully Sully was the house in the High Middle Ages. Gauthier de Sully built in the 12th century a fortified castle with corner towers eight, moats and a drawbridge. Of these, a tower and some foundations are preserved today. When the family Sully extinct mid-13th century, it was from a branch of the lords of couches, the Bauffremont family heir. End of the 13th century, married Marie de Bauffremont Etienne I de Bourgogne Montagu and brought both the rule and the castle into the marriage. For more than 150 years Sully remained in the possession of this family. When her last male representative, Claude de Montaigu, 1470 died in the battle of Buxy, inherited by his only daughter, who had married in 1461, Hugues de Rabutin, Seigneur of Épiry. The Rabutins could expand even more in the 15th century, the old single-wing castle by three other wing.

New building in the Renaissance

Christophe de Rabutin sold the property in 1515 to Jean de Saulx. His son, Marshal Gaspard de Tavannes Saulx- let, lay down their old building and begin in 1570 on the foundations of the old system with the new construction of a castle in the Renaissance style. The plans to be attributed, even if it is not documented detected as architect of the castle Nicolas Ribonnier. However, since he also built the castle of La Pailly for the family, it is at least likely as an architect for Sully. After the death of Marshal in 1573 continued his widow Françoise de La Beaume de Montrevel the construction continues. However, the work came first under her third son, Jean 1616-1621 final conclusion. He retired in 1595 after Sully and wrote there in the first quarter of the 17th century his memoirs.

The family Saulx- Tavannes sold the castle in 1714 to Claude de Morey, marquis de Vianges. The Morey left the northern facade and the large garden terrace by the architect Franck revise.

The MacMahon as lords of the castle

Charlotte Le Belin, widow and heiress Jean -Baptiste de Morey, married his second wife Jean -Baptiste Mac Mahion d' Eguilly and brought Sully Castle with in this marriage. It is still owned by the MacMahon. In 1808 there was the second president of the third French Republic, Patrice de Mac -Mahon, first Duke of Magenta, who was born and baptized in the old chapel.

During the French Revolution the castle escaped destruction only by the craftiness of his palace administrator. As revolutionaries, the building wanted to tear down, to them the already 80 -year-old Marquise Charlotte de MacMahon put in their way. The revolutionaries moved empty-handed again and wanted to go to the death of the lady of the castle come again, who would not let their opinion wait long in coming. Than six months later, the news of the death of Charlotte made ​​the rounds, the revolutionaries went one more time to lock. There, she taught the castle steward of it, however, that the Marquise was still alive, which was a blatant lie. When the ruse was uncovered, but the revolution was already over.

After 1850, the staircase had been built, let Marte de Vogüé, wife of Charles -Marie de Mac -Mahon, make during the 19th century, numerous restorations and repairs at the castle. So it is, for example, the redesign of the south facade, designed by Dutoit, a pupil of Eugène Viollet- le -Duc, and the re - commissioning of the old moat in 1683 thanks to. Other changes during the 19th century were the revision of the eastern facade, the demolition of the eastern bridge over the moat and the fundamental transformation of the interiors. The present castle park was created in 1890.

The recent repair action at the castle was the restoration of the large terrace in 2007.

Current usage

A part of the castle is now used as a family residence Mac -Mahon, the other part is used as the Castle Museum, which can be visited from March to November on a guided tour payment. You can see its magnificent interior decoration and furniture in the style of the 18th and 19th centuries. During the same period, the park and garden to the public are open. Every year around 18,000 tourists visit the facility.

Some rooms can be rented for private parties, conferences and exhibitions.