Chateau de Boutavent

Cluny's considerable land holdings were made up of places with a wide variety of statuses: the castle of Boutavent is one of those key defensive locations in the Clunisois territory, which testify to the abbot's seigneurial prerogatives. Although Cluny and its surrounding lands benefited from an extraordinary legal status that placed them under the authority of Saint Peter and his representative here on earth, the Pope, they were not immune to territorial issues that required the monks to be protected by arms. Boutavent reminds us of this!

Established at the end of a rocky spur, it dominates the Grosne valley, to the north of which it controls access. It was probably built in the first half of the 12th century by the Gros d'Uxelles, Sires of Brancion, on the march of their fief. In 1237, Josserand IV of Brancion ceded the fortress of Boutavent (castrum nostrum de Bonteavant) and its castellany to the Abbey of Cluny. From the 14th to the 16th century, the castle was taken several times before being definitively disarmed and affirmed in its vocation as an agricultural estate. In the 18th century, major work was carried out in the countryside, particularly in terms of landscaping. In 1867, the entire estate was acquired by the Count of Audiffred, who modernised it and turned it into a holiday resort.