Montherot Fortified House of Balan: A Medieval Lordly Residence
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- France
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page5 sections
History
The Montherot fortified house of Balan is a fortified residence associated with local lordship in France, dating to the fourteenth century. It was built as a lordly residence and is also known as Chateau Sauvage.
Origins and ownership
The Condé family, a French noble family, renovated the house in the seventeenth century. In the eighteenth century, the lords of Montluel sold the Balan estate and its fortified house to Pierre de Montherot to fund work on their hospice in Montluel. Pierre also owned property in Béligneux.
By 1877, the house belonged to the Sauvage de Saint-Marc family. The building was altered again in the twentieth century.
School use
Since 1968, the site has been occupied by MFR Balan, a French rural vocational school specializing in food-related trades.
Remains
The site brings together a fortified house with a tower, a chapel, and buildings used for education and lodging.
Fortified house and chapel
The tower forms part of the fortified house. The chapel was blessed in 1752 by Pierre Guérin de Tencin, then Archbishop of Lyon. The Montherot family arms appear above the chapel porch and on a plaque on the house’s fireplace; these arms also serve as Balan’s coat of arms. The chapel is used as a training restaurant.
