Chateau Du Crest
Encyclopedia
The Château Du Crest is a castle
in the municipality
of Jussy
of the Canton of Geneva
in Switzerland
. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance
.
It is the only wine producing chateau in the left Bank of Lake Geneva
in the Canton of Geneva
.
was a vassal town of the Bishop of Geneva in the Middle Ages and the chateau was built on the grounds owned by the Bishop circa 1220. Several families such as de Compesières, and the de Rovorée clans took turns in looking after the castle as well as its domains for the Bishop who had the legal jurisdiction it.
With the advent of Reformation
, the castle found itself in the middle of the intrigues between the city fathers of Geneva
who dislodged the Bishop as the lord of the city state in 1536 and the Duke of Savoy. The Lord occupant of the castle, Michel de Blonay refused to abandon his Catholic faith and side with Calvinism
. Several attempts at resistance followed and finally with the defeat of the Saoy Duchy
in the war of Escalade
in 1598, the castle was taken by the Calvinists and destroyed in the 1590s. With the treaty of St. Julien in 1603 that recognized Geneva as a Republic
, the castle fell into ruins.
Agrippa d'Aubigné
, a nobleman, a reformed French Huguenot squire of Henry IV
, who was expelled from France as result of his participation in the conspiracy against Duke of Luynes acquired the rights to the ruins of the chateau. He was also war leader, historian, poet and writer. Hired to direct the work of fortification in the cantons of Geneva, Bern and Basel
, d'Aubigné rebuilt the castle du Crest. because of the previous experiences with fortifications this close to Geneva, the city fathers did not want to see a fortified structure and hence permitted only the right to build "a manor house to safeguard against thieves and murderers."
However, Agrippa d'Aubigné went beyond the permission granted to him and built fortification including turrets, loopholes, drawbridge and a deep moat. He justified this to Geneva as a protection against papal armies. He died in 1630 and the castle passed into the hands of the Micheli family.
In 1637, Jacques Micheli of Lucca in Tuscany
acquired the lordship and his descendants own the property to this day. The family played an important part in shaping the politics of Geneva and held several important positions. This changed with Jacques-Barthélemi Micheli du Crest (1690–1766) who was a declared enemy of the state. A bright politician and inventor of a thermometer published the "Maxims of a Republican" and was openly critical of the city fathers. He was exiled and sentenced to death in absentia. His descendants retained the rights of the castle. Since 2005, the Castle is looked after by the Foundation Micheli-du-Crest.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the municipality
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
of Jussy
Jussy, Switzerland
Jussy is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. The historical Chateau Du Crest is located here.-Geography:Jussy has an area, , of . Of this area, or 55.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 36.7% is forested...
of the Canton of Geneva
Canton of Geneva
The Republic and Canton of Geneva is the French speaking westernmost canton or state of Switzerland, surrounded on almost all sides by France. As is the case in several other Swiss cantons The Republic and Canton of Geneva is the French speaking westernmost canton or state of Switzerland,...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.
It is the only wine producing chateau in the left Bank of Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
in the Canton of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
.
History
JussyJussy, Switzerland
Jussy is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. The historical Chateau Du Crest is located here.-Geography:Jussy has an area, , of . Of this area, or 55.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 36.7% is forested...
was a vassal town of the Bishop of Geneva in the Middle Ages and the chateau was built on the grounds owned by the Bishop circa 1220. Several families such as de Compesières, and the de Rovorée clans took turns in looking after the castle as well as its domains for the Bishop who had the legal jurisdiction it.
With the advent of Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, the castle found itself in the middle of the intrigues between the city fathers of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
who dislodged the Bishop as the lord of the city state in 1536 and the Duke of Savoy. The Lord occupant of the castle, Michel de Blonay refused to abandon his Catholic faith and side with Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
. Several attempts at resistance followed and finally with the defeat of the Saoy Duchy
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
in the war of Escalade
Escalade
Escalade is the act of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders, and was a prominent feature of siege warfare in medieval times...
in 1598, the castle was taken by the Calvinists and destroyed in the 1590s. With the treaty of St. Julien in 1603 that recognized Geneva as a Republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, the castle fell into ruins.
Agrippa d'Aubigné
Agrippa d'Aubigné
Théodore-Agrippa d'Aubigné was a French poet, soldier, propagandist and chronicler. His epic poem Les Tragiques is widely regarded as his masterpiece.-Life:...
, a nobleman, a reformed French Huguenot squire of Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
, who was expelled from France as result of his participation in the conspiracy against Duke of Luynes acquired the rights to the ruins of the chateau. He was also war leader, historian, poet and writer. Hired to direct the work of fortification in the cantons of Geneva, Bern and Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, d'Aubigné rebuilt the castle du Crest. because of the previous experiences with fortifications this close to Geneva, the city fathers did not want to see a fortified structure and hence permitted only the right to build "a manor house to safeguard against thieves and murderers."
However, Agrippa d'Aubigné went beyond the permission granted to him and built fortification including turrets, loopholes, drawbridge and a deep moat. He justified this to Geneva as a protection against papal armies. He died in 1630 and the castle passed into the hands of the Micheli family.
In 1637, Jacques Micheli of Lucca in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
acquired the lordship and his descendants own the property to this day. The family played an important part in shaping the politics of Geneva and held several important positions. This changed with Jacques-Barthélemi Micheli du Crest (1690–1766) who was a declared enemy of the state. A bright politician and inventor of a thermometer published the "Maxims of a Republican" and was openly critical of the city fathers. He was exiled and sentenced to death in absentia. His descendants retained the rights of the castle. Since 2005, the Castle is looked after by the Foundation Micheli-du-Crest.