History
article | Reading time8 min
Nestled in the heart of a wooded valley in Burgundy, the Château de Bussy-Rabutin stands out for its architecture, its parks and gardens where you can enjoy a stroll, and above all for the originality of its interior decoration designed by Count Roger de Bussy-Rabutin. Would you like to share the life of a 17th-century nobleman ? Come and meet our host and his home !
A stately home in constant evolution
A noble residence through the centuries
Château de Bussy-Rabutin is the perfect example of a stately home that has evolved over time.
The earliest archaeological evidence on the site points to a fortified house in the 14th century, comprising a main building flanked by four towers and a curtain wall , surrounded by a moat.
In the 16th century, the medieval influence gave way to Renaissance architecture: the curtain wall was demolished and replaced by two galleries resting on basket-handle arches and decorated with friezes.
When François de Rabutin (Roger de Rabutin's grandfather) bought Château de Bussy in 1602, he designed a symmetrical, rhythmic facade for the main building. Built on three levels (ground floor, first floor and attic), the light-coloured exterior contrasts with the dark slate roofs.
Roger de Rabutin inherited the château on his mother's death and continued to embellish it, particularly the interior.
Benjamin Gavaudo / Centre des monuments nationaux
A flamboyant Burgundian at the court of the Sun King
A landmark owner
Born in 1618, Roger de Rabutin was initially destined for a religious career, but finally became heir to the county of Bussy at the age of ten.
His father, the King's Lieutenant General in the Nivernais region, wanted him to train primarily in the art of war : it was a revelation to young Roger that he was to become a soldier ! From the age of sixteen onwards, he took part in numerous battles, receiving various honours and attaining the rank of Marshal of Camp at the age of 35.
A quick-witted, well-educated and mischievous cousin of the Marquise de Sévigné, he also quickly made a name for himself at the Salons. He became a renowned writer and was appointed to the Académie Française in 1665.
One of his pamphlets was to cause his downfall : wishing to entertain his mistress, he wrote "Histoire amoureuse des Gaules", in which he offered a wide-ranging critique of aristocratic society and its debauched manners. The book soon got into the wrong hands, and it was the cause of his downfall.
King Louis XIV, offended by this text, sentenced him to a year's imprisonment in the Bastille, and then to permanent exile in Burgundy, where he spent more than seventeen years creating an interior decor evoking his nostalgia for the Court and his feelings.
Want to find out more about the astonishing Roger de Rabutin ?
Benjamin Gavaudo / Centre des monuments nationaux
L'Histoire Amoureuse des Gaules, a people magazine before its time ?
Commonly regarded as the "Paris-Match" of the 17th century, and originally written for a light-hearted audience, this book is much more than just a people magazine.
Its genesis can be traced back to the convalescence of Madame de Montglas, the mistress of Count Roger de Rabutin : wishing to entertain her, he composed this little collection of stories using scathing irony. Although the book was not supposed to leave the private sphere, it very quickly escaped Roger de Rabutin's control.
The point of no return was reached when Madame de Montglas persuaded him to lend the work to her best friend, Madame de la Baume.
Driven by revenge (Roger de Rabutin had repeatedly refused her advances), she decided to copy the book, adding stories about the King, his family and his mistresses, and to publish it under the name Roger de Bussy-Rabutin.
If the king's reaction was so violent, it was because this was a pamphlet and not a simple compilation of gallant adventures.
The satirical power lies in the force of the message. In a court where people want to keep secrets, especially scandalous ones, Bussy was the most powerful ; he knew everything and revealed everything.
Hervé Lewandowski Reproduction / Centre des monuments nationaux
A unique decoration
The story of a life
The distinctive feature of this monumental home is the interior decor created by Roger de Bussy-Rabutin. The Count himself described it as "a residence with a singular interior".
More than three hundred paintings adorn the walls, recounting the life of this flamboyant Burgundian nobleman and his nostalgia for the Court.
It can be seen as a comic strip of the Count's life that unfolds before our eyes, as well as an immersion in his social network, the Golden Tower and the Salon des Hommes de Guerre, with their countless portraits that could be likened to his a "personal Facebook wall".
His sensitivity is finely revealed throughout the visit, particularly in his impressive motto decor. In his residence, the Count took this game to its apogee, highlighting the ideal of the aristocratic spirit, steeped in finesse and elevation. Thirty-eight "talking pictures" are displayed here, most of them concentrated in the first room on the ground floor, appealing to every curious mind that comes across them.
From the first to the last room, you are transported back to the time of the Sun King : that is Roger de Bussy-Rabutin's strength.
In exile, far from his peers and their intrigues, he succeeded in summoning all the atmosphere of Versailles to his lands in Burgundy. His gallery of paintings reflects the feelings of a great lord about the king and the Court : he depicts all the workings and subtleties of this world from which he is now excluded.
So, like Lagardère's famous declamation in "The Hunchback", from the depths of his Burgundian exile, the Count never ceased to proclaim to his contemporaries and posterity :
If you don't go to Bussy, Bussy will go to you.
David Bordes / Centre des monuments nationaux
Bussy after Roger de Rabutin
The Counts of Sarcus or the story of a historic rescue
One of the most striking features of this château is that its distinctive interior decor has survived the Rabutin family, who owned the residence for just under a century !
If there is another family name that should be associated with this monument, it is that of the Counts of Sarcus, who owned the house in the 19th century.
On 5 August 1835, Jean-Baptiste de Sarcus bought the Château de Bussy-Rabutin at an auction held by the Semur-en-Auxois court. An amateur painter, seasoned historian, archaeologist in his spare time and erudite collector, he fell in love with the monument and its flamboyant 17th-century owner.
For more than twenty years, he set about restoring Bussy to its original appearance, undertaking a veritable resurrection of the estate. In 1862, it was listed as a historic monument, one of the first private residences to do so.
Bought by the State in 1929, the estate has undergone extensive renovation work since the 1970s, culminating in a major restoration project undertaken by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux and initiated by the Loto du Patrimoine-Mission Bern.
Regards database / Centre for National Monuments
A major restoration
The rebirth of the Sarcus wing
In 2018, the château had the surprise and immense honour of taking part in the Mission Bern Heritage Lottery.
Thanks to this operation, a large-scale project was launched by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux to restore the 19th-century wing of the residence to its former glory.
Upstairs, the flats of the Counts of Sarcus were given a facelift following their restoration in 1970. Above all, the work has restored the ground floor to its early 19th-century layout, with a boudoir, a drawing room and an octagonal dining room.
Discover the double tour circuit, new open spaces and, above all, a château that is now fully accessible to the public !
Pascal Lemaître / Centre des monuments nationaux