Chevron Castle


Chevron is a small castle typical of the dozens of such buildings that can be found in small towns and villages throughout the region of Savoie. Originally just a standing tower, it was expanded over the centuries into a maison forte (strong house) until it finally became large enough to be called a castle. Its crenelated tower gives it a certain castle "look" although the judgment of whether it is a castle or a mere maison forte is necessarily a subjective one.

Located in Savoie near the city of Albertville, the castle once belonged to the powerful Chevron-Villette family that controled much of what is now southern Haute Savoie and parts of Savoie proper. While some descendants of the Chevron-Villette family still live in Giez castle, Chevron was sold in the Nineteenth Century to a wealthy bourgeois family.

The upkeep of such a buiding is quite costly, and much of the structure is in poor condition. A small part of it is used as a vacation residence by its current owners. The castle is not open to visitors.


Page and images © 1999 by Robert F. Jeantet
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