Château de Châtillon
Origin of the name Château de Châtillon
The castle bears the name of the hill of Châtillon, a place at Péry.[1][5]
Founding of Château de Châtillon
The castle was the residence of the lords of Péry, ministerials whose seat is mentioned from the 13th to the 16th century. It stood on a hill near the village, at the northern entrance of the Rondchâtel gorge, and the hill itself was a fief of these lords. Its ruins date from the 13th century. In the early 20th century the Catholic parish of Biel chose the rocky spur of the ruin to build a chapel.[1][2][3][4][5]
History of Château de Châtillon
XIIIe-XVIe siècle. The seat of the ministerials of Péry is mentioned for three centuries.[3]
1904. The Catholic parish of Biel built a chapel on the hill so that Catholics would not have to go down to Biel (the work is also dated 1905). The land belonged to Mme Peck, who ran the Hôtel de la Truite.[5][3][6]
1906. On 5 August the chapel was dedicated.[7]
1909. A spire was added to the tower. It holds a single bell, named Katharina.[5]
1932. The south-east wing was added.[5]
1941. A first renovation, limited to interior paint and decoration, was completed on 14 September.[5][6]
1971. The fully renovated chapel was reopened on Ascension Day.[5][6]
1979. The walls were treated inside and out against saltpetre in the old stones.[5]
1981. The former PTT power station at the foot of the chapel was bought for use as a parish hall.[5]
1990. Stained-glass windows by the painter Yoki, made by the master glazier Michel Eltschinger, were inaugurated (1989 according to the municipality).[5]
2004. The chapel celebrated its centenary.[5]
Historic sites in Château de Châtillon
Chapel of the Mysteries of the Ascension. Catholic chapel of Péry-Reuchenette, built in 1904 on the rocky spur of the ruin. It has the Yoki windows and Stations of the Cross installed in 2008.[3][5]
Remains in Château de Châtillon
Castle ruins. Remains of the castle of the nobles of Péry survive at Châtillon, notably parts of the watchtower on the valley side.[1][3]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Péry » (Christine Gagnebin-Diacon, version du 20.04.2023)
- Commune de Péry-La Heutte, « Histoire »
- Commune de Péry-La Heutte, « Ruines et vestiges »
- Canton de Berne, BEinfo, « Péry-La Heutte, terre de dinosaures » (7 mars 2024)
- Église catholique de Bienne et environs, « Chapelle des Mystères de l'Ascension, Péry-Reuchenette »
- Chronologie jurassienne, « Péry »
- Chronologie jurassienne, « Reuchenette »
Other villages near Château de Châtillon
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