Château d'Erguël
Origin of the name Château d'Erguël
The castle bears the name of its first lords, the lords of Arguel, who came from Franche-Comté. Their name, also spelt Erguël, passed to the whole lordship in the Vallon de Saint-Imier.[1][2]
Founding of Château d'Erguël
The ruin stands on a rocky spur on the south side of the valley, south-east of Sonvilier. The building dates are unknown, and a Gallo-Roman origin is sometimes suggested. In the 11th century the lords of Arguel, who had obtained the advocacy of the area, settled here. The visible structure dates back to the 13th century, though earlier buildings are not ruled out. After 1264 the castle belonged to the bishop, who had it repaired and fortified. It lost its role in 1606, when the bailiff moved to Courtelary.[1][2][3][5]
History of Château d'Erguël
11th century. The lords of Arguel, from Franche-Comté, obtain the advocacy of the area and settle at the castle.[1][2][3]
1178. A Henricus de Arguel is a witness to a deed.[1]
13th century. The surviving parts of the castle are built, perhaps on earlier buildings.[1]
1264. On 11 December the knight Otto of Arguel cedes his office of advocate, his share of the castle and his property to Bishop Henry of Neuchâtel, in exchange for a quarter of the tithes of Rödersdorf in Alsace. The episcopal mayor of Biel/Bienne takes over the advocacy.[1][2][3]
Around 1284. Bishop Henry of Isny has the castle repaired and fortified.[1][3]
1386. At war with Prince-Bishop John of Vienne, the Bernese partly burn it. It is then gradually restored.[3]
1606. The bailiff moves to a new castle at Courtelary. Only one guard stays at Erguël.[1][3]
1617. A plan of the castle is drawn, and Bishop Rink of Baldenstein considers major works.[1][3]
1630s. The Thirty Years' War causes new destruction, followed by repairs.[1][3]
1754. It is decided to stop maintaining the castle.[1]
1762. Pastor Théophile Rémy Frêne and his wife visit. Uninhabited for some fifteen years, the castle has only its tower still roofed, and vegetation is taking over.[1]
1767. The Prince-Bishop grants the estate as a fief to La Ferrière.[1][4]
1806. The municipality of La Ferrière buys the estate.[4]
1828. The estate is sold to François Finot, of Undervelier (to the burgher commune of Sonvilier according to another source).[1][3][4]
1845. The burgher commune of Sonvilier acquires the castle. Inhabitants then take stones from it for their own buildings.[1][3]
1884. The architect Antoine Biétrix excavates the site and builds two models.[1]
1929-1931. Placed under federal protection in 1929, the castle has its tower restored and consolidated thanks to the historian Paul Flotron, under the aegis of the Erguël section of the Société jurassienne d'émulation. The architect Louis Bueche directs the work.[1][3]
1964. Joints are repointed with a mortar too rich in cement, the cause of much of the later damage.[1]
1993-1996. Many collapses lead to the creation of a restoration commission with the cantonal archaeological service. The danger zone is fenced off and 65 m³ of timber are cleared.[1][3]
1997. Restoration starts with the keep, then extends to the visible walls. The buried walls are not uncovered.[1][3]
2008. The association Tour à Tour is founded to hold exhibitions in the castle tower and in the Tour Saint-Martin at Saint-Imier.[6]
Historic sites in Château d'Erguël
Castle ruins. What remains is the lower part of the keep, a section of the adjoining tower and some wall remains, on a spur overlooking the Vallon de Saint-Imier. They can be seen from the road between Saint-Imier and Sonvilier.[1][3]
Models by Antoine Biétrix. The two models made after the 1884 excavations are kept in the museums of Saint-Imier and Sonvilier.[1][3]
Remains in Château d'Erguël
Medieval castle. The castle comprised a double main building, a small building with a courtyard and a square tower. The buried walls have never been excavated.[3]
Legends of Château d'Erguël
The White Lady. Philippine, daughter of Jean d'Erguël, loved Pierre de Gliers, lord of Chauviller, but their marriage was refused. One Christmas night, during an attempted abduction, Pierre was killed by an arrow shot from the tower, and Philippine starved herself to death. Her ghost wanders the ruins every Christmas night at midnight.[1]
The castle in fiction. In 1909 Louise Châtelain published the novel « Les deux trésors ou le château d'Erguël », reissued in 1955, and a story entitled « La légende du château d'Erguël ».[1]
Sources
- Mémoires d'Ici, « Un château en Erguël : histoire et histoires », Les dossiers de Mémoires d'Ici, mai 2007
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Erguël » (Anne Beuchat-Bessire), version du 26.07.2017
- Municipalité de Sonvilier, « Château d'Erguël »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Ferrière, La » (Anne Beuchat-Bessire), version du 18.01.2005
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Sonvilier » (Christine Gagnebin-Diacon), version du 13.02.2023
- Chronologie jurassienne (Denis Moine, Archives cantonales jurassiennes, Archives de l'État de Berne, Mémoires d'Ici), « Saint-Imier, Monuments historiques, Tour Saint-Martin »
Other villages near Château d'Erguël
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