Château de Bussy Rabutin
The story of Château de Bussy-Rabutin
Roger de Rabutin (1618-1693), Comte de Bussy, a troublesome noble at the Court of the Sun King (Louis XIV) and cousin of Madame de Sévigné, was a flamboyant figure. Soldier, courtesan and a well-known author, he was banished from Court for revealing the shenanigans of his noble contemporaries in a book « l'Histoire amoureuse des Gaules ».
On retiring from Court, which he considered an unbearable disgrace, he wrote his memoirs and corresponded with many people. He also spent his time in exile decorating the family château in the north of Côte d’Or, not far from famed Alesia and Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, famous for its aniseed sweets.
The Château de Bussy-Rabutin or Bussy-le-Grand is a Renaissance-style château initially built in the 12th and 14th centuries and completed in 1649. So it is a discreet mixture of several periods : its façade is from the 17th century, the ground floor (U-shaped main building with two wings) dates from Louis XIII and the upper storeys are from 1649. The main courtyard is surrounded by galleries typical of the first French renaissance period and the roofing is of slate.
Discover the Château de Bussy-Rabutin Collection
During the 19th century, the Comte de Sarcus began the restoration of the property and it became a listed building in 1862, marking the beginning of national protection of private properties. Bought by the State in 1929, the estate has been the subject of major restoration work since the 1970s. It is managed and run by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, part of the Ministry of Culture.
The original, sumptuous interior decoration is all the work of the writer Roger de Bussy-Rabutin. Here the Count gave free rein to his creativity, depicting by means of pictures inserted into the delicate woodwork an extremely caustic fresco of the period and the Court at Versailles. The gallery has portraits of Kings of France and Dukes of Burgundy, but the Count’s love life and military career are also strongly featured in the incredible collection spread over different rooms and galleries of coats of arms, portraits of his lady friends including his beautiful cousin, great men of war and himself as Lieutenant-General of the King’s Armies.
The guided tour of about an hour can be followed by a visit of the 19th century apartments created by the Sarcus family by booking one month in advance.
André Le Nôtre is credited with designing the beautiful gardens ‘à la française’ which were restored in 1990 to their 17th-18th century glory and are classed as a « Jardin remarquable (remarkable garden) ». They comprise lakes, arbours, a maze and spinneys separated by paths in the form of a star. The terrace is adorned with flower beds bordered with box hedges, containing old roses, tree peonies and perennial flowers, the whole embellished with statues of figures from mythology. The grounds also contain beehives, ice houses, a dove cote, an orchard and a vegetable garden where varieties of heirloom vegetables are grown. There is also a hornbeam maze, a curiosity which can be found at other châteaux in Burgundy, for example at the Château de Cormatin, which has a box hedge maze."
