Castle of Villy

The tower was built in 1084 and has been added to over the centuries. In 1896, the whole site was restored by Emile Perillat, who added a caretaker's lodge and farm.

Located above the vineyard, to the north of the village of Contamine, sits the Château de Villy. The lower section of the tower dates from 1084, built by Monseigneur Guy de Faucigny. Noble Jean-Claude de Vidomne de Chaumont (whose coat of arms were still visible until recently, above the entrance gateway) had a single storey building built, attached to the tower. In 1721, the Marquis de Sales ordered construction of the south-western part on the site of the dilapidated remains of the house built in the 16th century. Maître Claude-François VUY, new owner and mayor of Contamine, commissioned the stone masons of Val Sésia to make significant repairs to the buildings and he had the lands put back to use by the local residents in 1791. M.Emile Périllat, from a local Contamine family, who had made his fortune in Paris, bought the estate in 1896. He rebuilt the château in the style that we now know, adding another floor and redoing the facades, embellishing them with wide mullioned windows and adding luxurious apartments with stylish fireplaces. He also added the terrace, the main steps and a round turret at the back of the keep, remodelling the roofs to finish in a ridge and decorated with skylights. The caretaker's lodge plus the old farm were also built by Monsieur Périllat. Recently updated, including the creation of paths and a landscaped area, the château's grounds are an ideal way to travel between the village centre and outlying hamlets.