Chevron Castle Audio guide

Chevron Castle in Mercury

Chevron Castle stands in the commune of Mercury in Savoy, behind the local church. It is a former fortified residence that was built in the fourteenth century as a replacement for the older Château-Vieux destroyed by fire in 1335. Within the County of Savoy, it served an important administrative role, since it was the center of both the lordship and the castellany.

Building history

The original medieval form was rebuilt in the seventeenth century, so the present appearance bears traces of two different phases. The western facade has survived especially well, where arrow slits and large mullioned windows are still visible. Above the main entrance is the coat of arms of the de Chevron Villette family, recalling the long possession of the estate by this noble line.

Historical significance

The castle was connected with the de Chevron Villette family, and later passed through marriages and sales to other Savoyard and Piedmontese noble families. After 1792 it was sold as national property, and in the nineteenth century the estate was divided into smaller parcels. An interesting chapter in its history is also the Second World War, when the Dunand Beneateau family hid a Jewish family here.

Since 1982, the facades and roofs have been protected as a historic monument. Today the castle recalls not only a noble residence, but also the administrative system of Savoy and the changes in a rural estate over the centuries.