Château de Semur-en-Brionnais: 11th-15th Century Renovations

The Château de Semur-en-Brionnais, located in Semur-en-Brionnais, Saône-et-Loire, is a castle with a rich history. Although much of the fortified ensemble that once occupied the entire rocky spur is gone, remnants of a poterne and a high rectangular tower remain. The poterne, modified in 1760, had a door at the upper level, defended by a chain and a masked balcony. The door was bricked up and stairs were built in its place to provide access to the first floor of the towers.

The northern tower has a cistern, the western tower has a staircase built into the wall. The rectangular tower is 22 meters high and has walls at the base that are two meters thick. The lower parts of the donjon seem to date back to the end of the 10th century, but the majority of the construction is the result of successive renovations from the 11th to the 15th century. The castle was originally built by the Freelan de Chamilly family, and ownership passed through several prominent families over the centuries, including the Maison d’Albon, the dukes of Burgundy, and the Coligny family.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons