Ussel Castle

Built by Ebalo II of Challant (mid XIV century), the castle is an example of Valdostane, fortress architecture: it is the first single body castle, which was the last evolutionary phase of medieval castles, and marked the passage between the contemporary castle in Fénis and the rigid shape in Verrès.

Having passed on numerous occasions from the Challants to the Savoys and vice versa, the castle then became a prison, until it was abandoned. In 1983, Baron Marcel Bich, the owner at the time, gave it to the Region, which renovated it and turned it into an exhibition centre.

With a large, rectangular layout, the castle is an example of good masonry that culminates in blind arcades and beautiful double mullioned windows, with floral and geometric decorations. The corners on the south side have two round towers, which were originally connected via a walkway.

The south side also has an entrance with an overhead murder-hole. The north side has two quadrangle-shaped towers, with a look-out tower in between, a symbolic element of feudal power. Inside, you can still see the monumental fireplaces, with large corbels, positioned on a

ascending line, to take advantage of a single chimney flue. When renovation work began the manor was pretty much a ruin, but a precise archaeological assessment enabled the identification and restoration of the missing parts. A picturesque walkway was added along the turrets, from where visitors can admire the Châtillon plain and its historic buildings.