Château de Villemolin

This horseshoe-shaped manor house stands in the commune of Anthien, about 7 kilometres west of Lormes. Its roots go back to a Gallo-Roman villa — the Villa Molini — and the present structure was built in the 14th century, then remodelled in the 17th and 19th centuries into its current form: three flanking towers, stone outbuildings from various eras, and a park that softens the whole ensemble.

The chapel is the star attraction. Built in 1830 and remodelled during the Second Empire, it holds a 15th-century Pietà carved in wood — a gift from a Carthusian monastery — and a quiet intimacy rare in estate chapels. The château is privately owned but has public access; the chapel was listed as a monument historique in 1978 and the full estate in 2002. In 2002 it also served as a film location for two movies directed by Bruno Podalydès, adding a footnote of contemporary culture to its deep history.

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The château has never been sold. The Certaines family has owned it since 1538, acquiring it by marriage, and their descendants occupy it today — making it one of the longest continuously family-held estates in Burgundy. The neo-Gothic chapel contains a 15th-century wooden Pietà, a gift from Carthusian monks that survived the Revolution intact.

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