An old acquaintance

When we (finally) managed to visit the castle of Germolles we bumped into an old acquaintance. Well, bumped into.... not in the flesh, at least.

Château - Germolles

Germolles was already an existing fortress when Philip the Bald, Duke of Burgundy, obtained the castle by seizure. He had the place renovated and turned it into a country estate for his wife Margaret of Flanders. It is one of the few remaining residences of the dukes of Burgundy.
The château still preserves some of its mediaeval glory: the cellar is interesting, the remains of the towers are 13th century and the 2-storey chapel shows a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. For some pictures, click here.

Towers and chapel - Germolles

The 15th century residential part is inhabited by the owners, however, a few rooms can be visited during the guided tour. The rooms with the walls decorated with the initials of Philip and Margaret are very interesting; unfortunately photographing is not allowed inside. The attached picture of the interior was copied from the website of the château.
But whatever happened to the old acquaintance? It turned out that Claus Sluter, court sculptor of Philip, was involved in the renovation of the property. There was a big fire place in one of the rooms inside the residential building, adorned with two beautifully sculpted capitals made in the workshop of the originally Dutch sculptor.

Capital of Claus Sluter - Germolles

Not so long ago, after having been closed for a long period, the hall with the mausoleum of Philip in the ducal palace in Dijon was reopened for the public, and the famous mourners of Claus Sluter were placed back in their niches around the walls of the mausoleum.
As for more châteaux in the area, the tickets to one of the castles mentioned hereafter give the visitor a discount on entrance tickets for or one of the others : Berzé-le-Châtel, Brancion, Brandon, Couches, Demigny, Drée, Germolles, La Ferté, Pierreclos, Pierre-de-Bresse and Sully. I always staple the tickets to the brochure "La Route des Châteaux en Bourgogne du Sud", because I know from experience that if I do not do it that way I will never be able to present old tickets at the till!

De ducal chapel - Germolles

Germolles is only a three quarters of an hour's drive away from La Tuilerie de Chazelle, and the road takes you all the way through the vineyards of the Chalonnais region.

One letter can make the difference

Couches has a beautiful mediaeval castle, normally referred to as the castle of Margaret of Burgundy. The construction of the castle was started in the 11th century.

Donjon, Chapelle, Tour de Justice - Couches

When we visited the castle recently, the guide told us that there is no written evidence whatsoever that the castle had ever belonged to this Margaret (1290-1315), let alone that she had set foot in it. Again, according to our guide the confusion could well have been caused by the fact that there is another castle in Conches (Normandy) which in its turn has had something to do with Margaret of Burgundy. For some pictures of the château, click here.

The owners of the castle in Couches have solved this "problem" very elegantly and pragmatically: the castle is now called the "Château de Couches dit de Marguerite de Bourgogne", or the castle of Couches AKA that of Margaret of Burgundy. This Margaret was imprisoned by her husband Louis X (the Stubborn), the King of France in Château Gaillard (Normandy), where she died under suspicious circumstances.

Logis, Chapelle, Tour de Justice - Couches

Wikipedia comes with yet another story to link Margaret to Couches. She did not die in 1315, but was secretly transferred to Couches on request of her cousin Marie of Couches, where she died in 1533. However, in my view this story has a too high content of the Anastasia Romanova story.
In any case, the castle with its medieval donjon, round towers and its flamboyant-gothic chapel (1460) is certainly worth a visit.
As for more châteaux in the area, the tickets to one of the castles mentioned hereafter give the visitor a discount on entrance tickets for or one of the others : Berzé-le-Châtel, Brancion, Brandon, Couches, Demigny, Drée, Germolles, La Ferté, Pierreclos, Pierre-de-Bresse and Sully. I always staple the tickets to the brochure "La Route des Châteaux en Bourgogne du Sud", because I know from experience that if I do not do it that way I will never be able to present old tickets at the till!

Chapelle

Couches is slightly more than an hour's drive away from La Tuilerie de Chazelle, and the road takes you partially through the vineyards of the Chalonnais region.