Maison-forte de Villon, Fortified house in Villeneuve, Ain, France

The Maison-forte de Villon is a brick fortified house in Villeneuve, about 5 km north of the village and facing a pond. Its red brick walls carry horizontal bands of darker brick, and a tall pyramidal roof of grey tiles with small finials covers the left section. An arched doorway with a semicircular fanlight of radiating metal bars sits at its base, while a small stone-framed window is set into the right facade.

The fortified house dates from the 14th century and was the centre of the seigniory of Villion, held by the gentlemen who bore that name, among them Arthaud (living in 1150), the knight Gui (1263-1274) and Étienne (1295). In 1378 Count Amédée VII of Savoy took it by assault. Through sales and marriages it passed to the Lyareins, the Teyssonnière, Jean Godon, the Naturel, Claude Valeton, Louis Austrein and the d'Apchon, then to the barony of Fléchères; in 1737 Pierre de Sève gave it as dowry to his daughter Gabrielle.

The name Villion is recorded as Olim Vilion and belonged to the gentlemen who held the seigneury, among them Arthaud de Villion in 1150 and the knight Gui de Villion in 1263-1274. In the 17th century a chapel stood within the enclosure, endowed with a rent of 50 livres for three masses said by the priest of Agnereins, then the parish to which Villion belonged.

The fortified house stands about 5 km north of Villeneuve bourg, facing a pond, in the Ain department. It is a classified monument with no regular opening to the public, so arrange any visit in advance. The building is brick, with a steep pyramidal roof and a square tower.

In 1378 Count Amédée VII of Savoy took the house by assault, the event the sources record most precisely about its military role. A chapel stood within the enclosure in the 17th century, endowed with a rent of 50 livres for three masses said by the priest of Agnereins, then the parish serving Villon.