Majorie Castle

Last updated
Majorie Castle
Native name
Château de la Majorie (French)
2019 Majorie Castle.jpg
The Majorie episcopal complex, with the Vidomnat on the left and the Majorie tower in the center
Location Sion, Switzerland
Coordinates 46°14′04″N7°21′43″E / 46.234455°N 7.361934°E / 46.234455; 7.361934
Built12th century
Current useValais Museum of Fine Arts
Owner Canton of Valais
Switzerland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Majorie Castle in Switzerland

Majorie Castle is a castle in the municipality of Sion in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. [1]

Contents

Description

The Majorie tower and its terraced walls Chateau de la Majorie (15794178966).jpg
The Majorie tower and its terraced walls

The castle is composed of two main buildings: the Majorie and the Vidomnat. The Majorie is a high tower dominating the site and protected by imposing terraced walls. The Vidomnat, located below and westward of the Majorie tower, is made up of two three-storey square towers, which were probably conjoined after their construction. [2] [3] [4]

History

The existence of the Vidomnat is mentioned as early as 1179. [4] The presence of the Majorie tower is attested as of 1221, when its St Michel's Chapel is mentioned for the first time. The Majorie is then called the Tour de Sion (Sion Tower). On 15 January 1373, the castle was bought by Bishop Guichard Tavelli, and served from then on as the official residence for the Prince-bishops of Sion. The castle then became the Prince-bishops' seat of power. They preferred it to the more austere Tourbillon Castle, which was less accessible. The Majorie tower probably contained reception rooms, and the buildings that served as bishops' habitation have not been preserved. In 1529, a fire destroyed the castle. It was rebuilt in 1536 under Bishop Adrian I of Riedmatten. [2]

During the 17th century, political power over Valais was shared between the bishops and the cantonal Diet  [ fr ], but the Diet met in the Majorie Castle. A fire broke out again in 1788 and destroyed the archives of the Diocese of Sion. Despite several reconstruction projects, the castle was left as it was, and the bishops eventually built their palace near the Sion Cathedral in 1839–1840. The State of Valais then bought the Majorie Castle and installed barracks there. [2] [3] [5]

The Majorie Castle has been housing the Valais Museum of Fine Arts  [ fr ] since 1947. The Grange-à-l'Évêque (Bishop's Barn), the former stables of the castle, has been home to the Valais Nature Museum  [ fr ] since 2013. [2]

See also

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Château de la Majorie at Wikimedia Commons

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valais</span> Canton of Switzerland

Valais, more formally, the Canton of Valais, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sion, Switzerland</span> Municipality in Valais, Switzerland

Sion is a Swiss town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Valais and of the district of Sion. As of December 2020 it had a population of 34,978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romandy</span> French-speaking part of Switzerland

Romandy is the French-speaking historical and cultural region of Switzerland. In 2020, about 2 million people, or 22.8% of the Swiss population, lived in Romandy. The majority of the romand population lives in the western part of the country, especially the Arc Lémanique region along Lake Geneva, connecting Geneva, Vaud, and the Lower Valais.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Sion</span> Catholic diocese in Switzerland

The Diocese of Sion is a Latin Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is the oldest bishopric in the country and one of the oldest north of the Alps. The history of the Bishops of Sion, of the Abbey of St. Maurice of Valais as a whole are inextricably intertwined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg</span> Latin Catholic diocese in Switzerland

The Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg is a Latin Catholic diocese in Switzerland, which is exempt. The original diocese of Lausanne was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Besançon, through the 18th century. The diocese of Geneva was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Vienne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourbillon Castle</span> Castle in Sion, Switzerland

Tourbillon Castle is a castle in Sion in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is situated on a hill and faces the Basilique de Valère, located on the opposite hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valère Basilica</span> Church in Valais, Switzerland

The Valère Basilica, also called Valère castle, is a fortified Roman Catholic church situated in Sion in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is located on a hill and faces the Château de Tourbillon, situated on the opposite hill. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leuk Castle</span>

Leuk Castle or Bishop's Castle is a castle in the municipality of Leuk of the Canton of Valais in Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poya Castle</span>

Poya Castle is a castle in the municipality of Fribourg of the Canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. It is the first example of Neo-Palladian architecture north of the Alps. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rouelbeau Castle</span>

Rouelbeau Castle is a ruined lowland fortress in the municipality of Meinier and the only comprehensively visible remnant of a medieval castle in the Canton of Geneva in Switzerland. It is a heritage site of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soie Castle</span> Ruined castle in the municipality of Savièse

Soie Castle is a ruined castle in the municipality of Savièse of the Canton of Valais in Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glérolles Castle</span> Castle in Saint-Saphorin, Switzerland

Glérolles Castle is situated in the municipality of Saint-Saphorin, canton of Vaud, Switzerland, on the northern shore of Lake Geneva. Its earliest elements date from a fortress built around 1150. The modern building serves as the headquarters for a vineyard of the same name, and as a venue which can be hired to host social events. It is a Swiss Cultural Property of Regional Significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Théodule, Sion</span> Roman Catholic church in Sion, Switzerland

The Church of St. Théodule is a Roman Catholic church located in Sion in the canton of Valais, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Anton Blatter</span> Swiss priest

Joseph Anton Blatter was a Swiss prelate and the 73rd and last Prince-bishop of the Diocese of Sion, in the Republic of the Seven Tithings, in the modern Canton of Valais, from 1790 to 1799, and after the French invasion and dissolution of the republic, Bishop of Sion until his death in 1807.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beauregard Castle, Chippis</span> Castle ruins in Chippis, Switzerland

Beauregard Castle is a ruined castle on the territory of Chippis in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is situated on a rocky spur at the entrance to the Val d'Anniviers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalais Castle</span>

Chalais Castle is a ruined castle in the municipality of Chalais of the Canton of Valais in Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venthône Castle</span>

Venthône Castle is a fortified tower in the village of Venthône which is part of municipality of Noble-Contrée of the Canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saillon Castle</span>

Saillon Castle or Bayard Tower is a ruined castle in the municipality of Saillon of the Canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Valais</span> History of the current canton of Valais, Switzerland.

Occupied since prehistoric times, the canton of Valais saw the rise of an exceptional civilization during the Bronze Age. From the 4th century BC, four Celtic tribes shared its territory, which was incorporated into the Roman Empire by Augustus. The Gallo-Roman Valais, located on the important Great St Bernard Pass, was prosperous. Christianity was first established in 377, and a bishopric was opened in Martigny by 381 at the latest.

References

  1. ↑ "Kantonsliste A-Objekte". KGS Inventar (in German). Federal Office of Civil Protection. 2009. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Elsig, Patrick (2019). The Castles of Sion. Society for the History of Swiss Art SHSA. p. 30-34. ISBN   978-3-03797-600-5.
  3. 1 2 Société d'histoire de l'art en Suisse SHAS. "La Majorie" (PDF). data.geo.admin.ch (in French). Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  4. 1 2 Société d'histoire de l'art en Suisse SHAS. "Vidomnat" (PDF). data.geo.admin.ch (in French). Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Sion (diocèse) in German , French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland .

46°14′04″N7°21′41″E / 46.23436°N 7.36130°E / 46.23436; 7.36130


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.