Castle of Vairy-The-Large

The Château of Vairy-The-Large is a Château XVIIIe century of style Classique builds in 1713 in the valley of Vairy-Arcier Doubs with in Franche-Comté to 13 km in the North-East of Besancon. The castle and the Jardin with the Frenchwoman were remarkably restored and are opened with the Tourisme during the summer since 1992.

History

With the Gallo-Roman time a Castrum crown the rock hillock which dominates the valley of Doubs, where the current castle is built.

A strong Château was built with the XIe century by the Seigneur Gauthier de Vare, vassal of the Comté of Burgundy.

Following the death of the Duke of Burgundy Charles Bold the in 1477, the king Louis XI appendix the Duchy of Burgundy of this powerful independent enemy and completely makes destroy the castles which resisted to him of which that Ci.

In 1703, Gabriel Boisot, Public prosecutor with the Parlement of Besancon, eye and arm of Louis XIV (wire of Claude Boisot, intendant of the fortifications of Franche-Comté which helps Louis XIV to conquer the Comté of Burgundy then vassal of the Habsbourg Kings d' Espagne) thereafter will occupy the load of first president at the Parliament of Besancon and will obtain from the king the right of repurchase of the baronnie of Vairy, which will premettra to him to sit its recent noblesse de robe. The strong castle is then ruins some and it occupies the imposing residence of left at the entry of the current castle.

Jean-Antoine Boisot (wire of Gabriel Boisot) heir to the titles to baron and president of his father, undertakes to mark his important social status by the ruinous construction of the current castle between 1713 and 1717 and by the installation of the first Jardin to the Frenchwoman in Franche-Comté, directly inspired of the treaty of Dézallier d' Argenville. It finances the whole with the 120.000 books of dowry of his wife Marie Elisabeth Yacinthe Heuslin (girl of the adviser, secretary of the King and general Receveur of finances of Soissons Michel Heuslin). The style Classique of its castle of pleasure is then with the Parisian latest fashion directly inspired of the Château of Champs-sur-Marne, which was occupied by the famous mistress of Louis XV Madam de Pompadour.

The husbands separated from body in 1723 for disagreement: Jean-Antoine Boisot is judged by his wife like “jealous, hard and close to his interests” what was at the origin of a scandal splashing the King. Mrs Boisot due to withdraw itself with the Convent of Issy while Jean-Antoine Boisot, ruined and involved in debt by his sumptuous work, will sell the castle to the nieces of his maternal aunt, orphan of the baron Jean Jacques Pourcheresse d' Etrabonne, against the pleasure of its field during its life.

Simone Bonaventure Etiennette (second of the three sisters) after having married the marquis Louis Badier de Verseille will settle with Vairy-the-Large in second half of the 18th century.

In 1814 the prince Aloys of Liechtenstein to the head of three divisions of Austrian troops installs its headquarters with the castle during six months of the Campagne of France. It makes notch the terraces or it lays out its pieces of artillery to exchange cars with the large army of the emperor Napoleon i very weakened by his disastrous Campagne of Russia of 1812.

In 1817 the Comtesse Etiennette de Malarmey of Roussillon (niece of the Marchioness of Versaille Bonaventure) inherits the castle and the field of 60 hectares fields and meadows, of 157 hectares wood, a Moulin and a tilery which it resells into 1819 with the families Cugnotet Finot.

In 1885 Fanny Morel, widow of the Ironmaster Louis Meiner, acquires the property. The castle is sold thereafter successively to several families: Mrs Koechlin and Madam de Reboul of Juillière and his daughters which inherits it in 1902, Mr. Duffet who buys it in 1932 then resells it in 1934 in Georges Feschotte who resells it him even in 1941 in Jacques Georges of the Company “Vosges cotton” then at the company of industrial of the textile Boussac in 1948.

In 1985 the Société Boussac transforms the two houses of entry into convalescent homes and the castle in Summer camp. The unit is registered on the Additional Inventaire of the Historic buildings on March 25th, 1985 and the field is in the process of classification.

In 1992, the new owners open the castle, the park and the Jardin with the Frenchwoman with the tourist visit following one long period of important and beautiful restoration.

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