Château De Verrès

Verrès Castle sits in a dominant position atop a rocky spur, controlling the entrance to the Ayas Valley, a stone’s throw from the River Evançon. Archive documents have allowed us to date its construction in its present form to the 1390s. Careful observation of the surrounding area on the western side of the building suggests the existence of some older structures. Indeed, the De Verretio family and the presence of a castle in this area were already documented in 1287. However, archaeologists have demonstrated that dwellings have existed since late Roman times, in other words from the 2nd to the 4th-5th centuries CE. The present-day building is compact, a parallelepiped 30 metres long on each side, clearly built with defensive functions in mind. As can be gleaned from some words engraved in Gothic characters into one of the entrance portals, it was built by Yblet de Challant. Later interventions, in 1536, are attributed to to René de Challant, who added a defensive wall and structures suitable for the new weapons of the period. Entering the castle one can see different windows, portals, and rooms of varying sizes and styles, clear indicators of further modifications. The three floors of the building are connected by a majestic stone staircase. The rooms are bare, but it is interesting to observe the partitions between the service areas on the top floor, the rooms for weapons and guards on the ground floor, and the spaces reserved for the nobles on the first floor. In the last of these, light is provided via elegant mullioned windows, while the dining room is connected to the main kitchen, which has three large fireplaces, by a serving hatch.