Le Château
Origin of the name Le Château
The hamlet reportedly takes its name from the episcopal castle that stood at its centre. It is also found under the names « Jussy-le-Château », « Bourg et Château de Jussy l'Evêque » and « Le Château-l'Evêque ».[3][5]
Founding of Le Château
In the mid-13th century the bishops of Genève founded a castle here. Its construction is attributed to Bishop Aymon de Grandson (1215-1260). The bishop resided there from time to time. Shortly before 1305 a fortified borough with a circular plan was created around it. In the Middle Ages it had about thirty houses and more than 200 inhabitants, about 200 in the 1340s. Today only a few houses of the former castle borough and the general layout of the site remain. It has become a hamlet of the municipality of Jussy.[1][2][3]
History of Le Château
Mid-13th century. The bishops of Genève found the castle. The municipal master plan attributes its construction to Bishop Aymon de Grandson (1215-1260).[2][3]
1290s. Date of the oldest beams, dated by dendrochronology, of the farmhouse at rue du Château-L'Evêque 12.[2]
Shortly before 1305. Creation of the circular borough around the castle.[2]
1340s. The fortified borough houses about 200 people.[3]
1534. The fortress is the main centre of resistance of the bishop's supporters against Genève.[1]
1536. After the Genevans call on their Bernese allies, the fortress is burned.[1][3]
1562. An ordinance begins the dismantling of the castle. The inhabitants use the ruins as a quarry.[2][3]
1578. Thomas Schöpf produces the oldest known depiction of the site.[3]
1602. As the castle is still defensible, the Council orders it to be « totalement rasé ». The moats are filled in and the site becomes the Place du Bourg and a pasture.[3]
1686-1688. New roof-frame phase of the farmhouse at rue du Château-L'Evêque 12, dated by dendrochronology, followed by others in 1723-1724 and 1834-1863.[2]
1956. Louis Blondel publishes a reconstruction of the castle.[3]
2020. On 19 October the canton announces the listing in the heritage inventory of the former farmhouse at rue du Château-L'Evêque 12 and its outbuilding, among the last witnesses of the castle.[2]
Population of Le Château
Sources and references: [3]
| 1340s | 200 inhabitants approximately (fortified borough) |
Historic sites in Le Château
Former borough. A homogeneous ensemble whose structure has been stable since the 19th century, with seven buildings in the heritage inventory. The core is mainly residential, and the northern end, towards Les Cabrits, has three large farms.[3]
Place du Bourg. Site of the castle razed after 1602, whose moats were filled in.[3]
Remains in Le Château
Farmhouse at rue du Château-L'Evêque 12. Former farmhouse and its outbuilding, with a paved courtyard, low walls and a wine press. They belong to the former borough and mark the line of the wall that defended the village. Their roof frames date partly from the 1290s.[2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Jussy » (Marie-Claude Loup Micheli)
- République et canton de Genève, « Inscription à l'inventaire d'une ancienne ferme et de sa dépendance à Jussy », communiqué du 19.10.2020
- Commune de Jussy, plan directeur communal, document 02 (Jussy-le-Château ; fiche Ju-02 « Bourg et Château de Jussy l'Evêque »)
- Office cantonal de la statistique (OCSTAT), Mémento statistique du canton de Genève 2026, tableau Population résidante par commune, en 2025
- geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de swisstopo (Le Château-l'Evêque, Jussy, coordonnées)
Other villages near Le Château
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