history   

 

 

 

                     An extremelly impressive castle

                                                                           

 

                              Military existence of a
construction on this site seems
to be very old. Menthon is a word
of Celtic origine, meaning the
Tower on the Rock.

  .
                                                    

                                                                             

     

 

 The current castle is the result of a 
long history which goes from  the 12th century
to the First World War. 

It is the collective work of a family where 
each one added "its contribution" according to 
the spirit of time and its own taste. 
 

One built and finished 
three solid towers, which were connected by 
a covered way to overdraft. 

In the center of the building, there was a vast 
court where inhabitants of the surroundings 
found refuge for moments of war etc. 

                                
          

  

 The Tower of the Lake,  
which dominates the village, the lake and 
the Annecy-Faverges road. 
 

 The Keep,
  undoubtedly the continuation and completion 
of the primitive castle which gives sight on 
mountains and the passage towards Thônes.
 

 The Tower of the Weapons,
  which supervises the mountain pass of Bluffy. 

 

  From the Renaissance-period (1450-1550), we can notice the
feudal world and the castles losing  importance. 
The empowerment of the individual and the legists 
takes the step on that of the feudal lords. 
The castle of Menthon changes and 
apartments take the place of large rooms, more pieces of furniture are 
installed and one will not see military activity anymore. 

 

 Beginning 18th century, the main buildings that have
been preserved show a very austere aspect,
one adds between the different towers and the frontage
towards the lake, a whole of rooms which are
luminous, in total rupture with the Middle Ages. 
Here we can see the dining room, different sleeping rooms,
library and the main room.

                                
                                

                                                                                      

                  

IN 1880, few things changed,
Rene de Menthon, great-grandfather of
the current owner, artist,
wants to defend the castle against time.
                                
                     Everything remained, he rebuild
the oldest parts , and
adds a part to a 
                                fragile angle.

 

 

 

              "We  can certainly recommend you to see"

 

                  
>>The livingroom>>  

      

     On the monumental chimney one can find
the seal of the family of Menthon carved in
stone, as well as the cord of
                               Annonciade, order of knighthood
of the Savoye created in 1362 by the Count
of Savoy,  Amédée VI.
                             

                   One can see the walls and the
corbels supporting the beams of the
coffered ceiling fully decorated with portraits,
of which some of great artistic value.
                              
                              
             

                                        
>>The library>>   

   

This room that is located at the base of the keep,
became the large library
                             of the castle in the middle of the XIXth century, when
the counts Bernard and Alexandre of Menthon
brought back the library of
                                Richardot de Choisey
                               of Dôle in the Jura.

                               The library includes 12000 books all
written before the French revolution (of 1789 ac).
One can find here many manuscripts, books
written on parchment, sheep/goat skin,
some richly decorated of miniatures
painted by monks and much of printed
incunables ( first books in the second part
of XVth century).

  

                                        
>>The Chapel>>  

 

       From the first moment it is already on its present place  (like
specified in a text of 1262 preserved in the library).
The back, narrow and low part,
date from the Middle Ages. One notices a Christ
out of wood of the XVth century. The front, higher part and
                               more decorated, was built at the end of
the XIXth century in homage to Saint Bernard of
Menthon, to which it is now devoted.