Château de la Soie
Origin of the name Château de la Soie
The site was formerly called « Seta ». The name reportedly comes from the jagged shape of the rocky ridge, like a saw, which was called « soie » in Old French or in patois.[1][3]
Founding of Château de la Soie
La Soie stands on a long rocky ridge on the right bank of the Rhône, south-west of Savièse and Granois, in the municipality of Savièse. Around 1200 the bishop of Sion, probably Landri de Mont, had a fortress built there to counter the power of the counts of Savoy in Valais. The site overlooks the borough and castle of Conthey and the Morge, which then separated the two territories. The complex included a fortified borough, where people from the surrounding area could take refuge, and a castle, all enclosed by walls.[1][3][5]
History of Château de la Soie
Neolithic. A hamlet occupies the hill between about 4800 and 2000 BC: hearths, pits, pottery, stone tools and a grave from the Middle and Late Neolithic remain.[1][4]
Late Bronze Age. The hill is occupied again, and traces of this survive.[1]
around 800-1000. An early medieval cemetery is laid out on the hill.[4]
around 1200. The bishop of Sion has the fortress built (in 1219, by Landri de Mont, according to another source).[1][2][3][5]
1230. In response, Count Aymon of Savoy builds the castle of Montorge.[5]
1260. After the peace treaty between the bishop and Savoy, La Soie remains episcopal property. In the 13th century a castellan usually guards it.[1]
14th century. The fortress becomes the favourite residence of the bishops of Sion.[1][3][5]
1352. Humbert de Corgevone, vice-bailiff of Valais, holds the castles of Tourbillon, La Soie and Montorge.[6]
1375. The knight Antoine de la Tour has Bishop Guichard Tavel murdered there.[1][5]
1384-1387. Count Amadeus VII of Savoy occupies the castle (according to another source, the Upper Valais dizains, urged on by Pierre de Rarogne, seize the Majorie, La Soie and Tourbillon in 1384).[1][5]
1417. During the Raron affair the castle is set on fire. It is then left in ruins and abandoned in the course of the 15th century.[1][3][5]
2017. A ground-penetrating radar survey locates further towers, the foundations of the keep and cellars in the borough. A major consolidation and enhancement project begins the same year.[3][4]
Historic sites in Château de la Soie
Borough gate. The main gate of the borough is the best-preserved remain of the site and the only monumental structure still standing.[1][3]
Viewpoint and dry meadows. The hill offers a view over the Rhône plain as far as Martigny. It is home to rare plants, including the Valais stock and the Swiss ephedra. Its dry meadows are protected by the Confederation, and the canton protects the site for its archaeological and historical interest. Sheep graze there once a year.[3][4]
La Soie botanical trail. Created by the Fondation Bretz-Héritier and a primary class from Granois, it follows the former course of the Couluirette bisse.[4]
Remains in Château de la Soie
Borough and main castle. Ditches separated the forecourt, with several rows of houses, from the main fortress and the garden. The central castle included a belfry tower, a bishop's palace, a rectangular building and a chapel. Only a few sections of wall survive.[1][5]
Reused stones. After the site was abandoned, people from the nearby villages reused the castle stones to build their houses and vineyard walls.[3]
Legends of Château de la Soie
The fall of Bishop Tavel. According to tradition, Bishop Guichard Tavel was reportedly thrown over the ramparts by the lords de la Tour.[4]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Soie, La » (Werner Meyer, version du 18.12.2012)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Savièse » (David Rey, version du 23.02.2011)
- État du Valais, magazine VIS-A-VIS, « En visite à Savièse avec Sylvain Dumoulin »
- Commune de Savièse, brochure d'accueil des nouveaux habitants
- Commune de Conthey, « Position stratégique du Bourg »
- Jean-Émile Tamini, « Les châtellenies savoyardes de la vallée du Rhône I », Les Échos de Saint-Maurice, 1929
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées de la ruine du château de la Soie)
Other villages near Château de la Soie
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