Motte castrale de Saint-Jean-de-Thurigneux

To make a day of it

Motte castrale de Saint-Jean-de-Thurigneux stands in Saint-Jean-de-Thurigneux (Ain), in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. The building is registered as a historic monument (dating recorded in the Mérimée database: 12th century). Its opening hours and prices have not been verified at the source yet.

In the middle of the flat Dombes plateau stands an isolated earthen mound marking the site of a vanished medieval stronghold. This artificial hill, surrounded by water-filled ditches, formed together with its wide outer bailey a fortified complex first recorded in 1180. On the upper platform, brick foundations of a five-sided building can still be traced, the remains of a later manor that replaced the original fortress. The site has undergone little alteration, allowing visitors to read the medieval fortified landscape almost directly.

Written from Motte castrale de Saint-Jean-de-Thurigneux

What to know

• The site is open-air with no roofed building to visit, explored on foot over uneven ground around the mound and ditches.
• As no opening hours or fees are set, access to the grounds is free and unrestricted.
• Access is via a track set back from the departmental road, some distance from the village.
• The mound has been a listed historic monument since 1989, so visitors should treat the site with care and take nothing from it.
• No structure remains standing above ground: only the mound, the water-filled ditches and traces of brick foundations can be seen.

Practical information

Visit duration

Not verified

Wheelchair access

Not verified

Dogs

Not verified

Parking

Not verified

Where this château is

Saint-Jean-de-Thurigneux · Ain · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

Le Bourg, 01390 Saint-Jean-de-Thurigneux

Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.

Get directionsView on a map

Château phone number

+33 4 74 00 81 78

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The safest check before setting off: today’s hours, guided-tour availability, where to park.

4.6 / 5from 447 Google reviews

Heritage status

Registered historic monument (inscrit)

Mérimée record PA00116605

Period of construction

12th century

Base map © IGN, Géoplateforme

In pictures

Frequently asked

Can you visit the castle mound of Saint-Jean-de-Thurigneux?

The site can be explored on foot outdoors, with no building to visit, as the mound and ditches lie in the open air.

What remains of the former castle?

Only the earthen mound, its water-filled ditches and the brick foundations of a 17th-century manor survive.

Since when has the site been protected?

The mound has been listed as a historic monument by decree of 19 September 1989.

How old is this fortification?

The castle site was founded in the second half of the 12th century and abandoned in the 15th century.

Sources

Identity, location and official references from Wikidata and the Mérimée register.

• This entry in Markdown
• Wikidata Q3325347
• Mérimée PA00116605
• Official website

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