Montrottier : A Medieval Château Shaped by Centuries of History
Located in Lovagny, just a short drive from Annecy, Montrottier Château stands on a site shaped by time and nature. The castle’s position owes much to the erosion caused by the Fier River, whose waters carved out the remarkable natural site known as the « Gorges du Fier ».
In the Middle Ages, the château controlled a key crossing over the Fier River and a strategic route linking Geneva and Chambéry.
The current buildings, arranged around a cylindrical keep topped with batlements, form a pentagonal fortress dating from the 13th century to the 15th century. Despite various alterations and restorations carried out in the 19th and 20th centuries, the château still retains major features of medieval military architecture.
The 13th century « Tour des Religieuses » ( literally «Tower of the Nuns ») stands isolated on a rocky outcorp and is protected to the north by the former bed of th Fier River. It is the oldest part of the Château and originally served a defensive purpose.
The « Logis des Chevaliers et des Comtes » (literally « Residence of the Knights and Counts ») dates back to the 14th century while the keep appears to date from the 15th century. »
Today, the château is listed as a historic monument and has been open to visitors since 1919. Thanks to Léon Marès last wishes, its remained untouched, offering a truly unique journey through time.
As time went on, the château gradually lost its strategic and defensive rôle , becoming intead a prestigious residence. Over the centuries, it welcomed several notable families including :
- Duke Amadeus VIII of Savoy (1425-1427)
- The Menthon family (1427 – until the French Revolution)
- The family of General Dufour, a citizen of Geneva, engineer, topographer and prominent Swiss politician (1799-1839)
- The Rochette family (1839-1876)
- The Frèrejean family, well-known industrialists (1876-1906)
- Léon Marès (1906-1916), a wealthy collector and philantropist
Passionate about art and history, Léon Marès bequeathed the Montrottier estate andall of its collections to the Académie Florimontane – an intellectual society founded in Annecy in 1606 by François de Sales and Antoine Favre.
The Collections at Montrottier Château
Montrottier Château houses a remarkably rich and near-encyclopedic collection. Assembled notably by Léon Marès himself. It include furniture, earthenware, tapestries, weaponry, objects from Africa and Asia, as well as four XVIth century bronze bas-relief masterpieces made by Hans and Peter Vischer.
The château’s collections were awarded there awarded the « Musée de France » label in 2003, a designation that both acknowledges their exceptional value and ensures their protection. The Académie Florimontane actively supports and encourages research into the history of Montrottier, its former owners and its collections calling on the expertise of specialists from around the world.
The society also regularly contributes to other exhibitions by loaning pieces from the château’s holding
Today, Montrottier Château proudly stands as one of the last true havens of great collectors. The collections are displayed just as they would have appeared in the 19th century. Their diversity and distinctive presentation style offer a fascinating glimpse into the era’s passion for cabinets of curiosities.
