Château de Jours-lès-Baigneux, Historical castle in Jours-lès-Baigneux, France.
The Château de Jours-lès-Baigneux is a rectangular Renaissance castle with a round tower enclosing its northeast corner, the Tour Joyeuse, covered by an imperial slate roof. Its southwest facade, attributed to Sebastiano Serlio, is decorated with pilasters and arcades. The long-pitched roof with two hips is pierced by pedimented dormers aligned with the facades, and the entrance still shows the arrow slits of an old drawbridge.
The Brancion family originally owned the property before selling it to Duke Hugh IV of Burgundy in 1259. The Anglure family later acquired it and undertook a major rebuild between 1542 and 1566, creating the Renaissance structure visible today.
The southwest facade is attributed to Sebastiano Serlio, architect of the Château d'Ancy-le-Franc, and is decorated with pilasters and arcades. The round tower is called Tour Joyeuse after Isabeau de Joyeuse, wife of Claude d'Anglure, who commissioned the 16th-century rebuilding. A vanished coat of arms on the northeast facade once bore the arms of both families.
The property received historical monument status in 1964, protecting its facades, roofs, interior staircase, and vaulted ceilings from alteration. The setting along the Planchotte stream helps with orientation, though visitors should verify access conditions before traveling.
The entrance gate still shows traces of an old drawbridge mechanism, a detail many visitors miss. The northeast wing once displayed a coat of arms marking connections to several noble families.
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