Château de Bazoches, demeure de Vauban

Bazoches

Facing the hill of Vézelay, on a wooded spur of the Morvan, the château was raised around 1180 by Jean de Bazoches, on the site of a former Roman post on the Autun road. But it was a local boy who brought Bazoches into history: Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, born close by at Saint-Léger, bought the château in 1675 thanks to the gratuity Louis XIV paid him after the capture of Maastricht. The greatest military engineer of his age turned the old fortress into a design office: in the great gallery he had fitted out, his engineers and draughtsmen drew up the plans of more than three hundred fortified places, from Lille to Briançon — twelve of which are today listed as World Heritage. It was to Bazoches that the marshal returned between sieges, he who said he had spent his life on horseback. He died in Paris in 1707, in disgrace for having pleaded for tax reform in favour of the common people, and was buried according to his wish in the modest church of Saint-Hilaire at Bazoches, at the feet of the Virgin. In 1808, Napoleon, who venerated him, had his heart transferred to Les Invalides; the rest of his remains still lie in the village church. The château, furnished with his memorabilia, maps and instruments, still belongs to the marshal's descendants and is open to visitors all year round.

Getting there : Point placed on the village of Bazoches; the château is about 500 m to the south, on the wooded flank of the hill, signposted from the D958 (Vézelay–Corbigny road). Admission charge, open all year round; Vauban's tomb is in the church of Saint-Hilaire, in the village.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound