Ussel Castle

Introduction

The castle, situated on a rocky ridge on a precipice, is one of the area's major attractions. The building, which can be visited during the summer, dominates the municipalities of Châtillon and Saint-Vincent from above, offering visitors an exceptional panorama.

Description

Architectural description

The castle has a simple rectangular floor plan, divided internally by two thorn walls forming three adjacent rooms. The middle body was used as a dwelling, while the side ones housed the service rooms including the kitchen. In the central room, next to the entrance door, was the hall, with a large stone staircase vaulted at the bottom and lit by the two windows located next to the main door. The room had a length of 14 metres and a width varying from a minimum of 7 metres to the east and 8 metres to the west.
Beside the main entrance (surmounted by a machicolation supported by three stone brackets), there was another entrance on the right, possibly leading to the stables and prison. Towards the west, the castle was only two storeys high, because the rock on which the building was erected also penetrated the interior, making a portion of the ground floor unusable.
Inside, one can still see traces of the floors, staircases and even the three large chimneys one above the other that used the same chimney (which was shaped like a small turret at the top) and constituted an efficient heating method. A third access located higher up and equipped with a pulley, was intended to replace the main one for the supply of basic necessities in times of danger.
From the north side, which is the one located at the top of the precipice, square turrets protrude at the corners and a larger rectangular body in the centre. These protrusions give the façade a menacing appearance, and in particular the body in the centre evokes the donjon, an element that has always been considered a symbol of power: these were actually used for habitation rather than defence, as on that slope the castle was already naturally protected by the precipice. In the two side towers, latrines were built and not machicolations, as one might think! At the corners of the south elevation, two cylindrical turrets were built, connected to the other two square towers by a patrol walkway protected by a crenellated parapet. The pitches of the double-sloping roof terminated right at the walkway; just below, numerous stone gargoyles had been built to drain rainwater, as the roofing was inside the masonry.
Apart from the elevation on the precipice, the other façades display an elegantly decorated appearance. Three-quarters of the way up from the ground is a pleasing horizontal band. On the south and east sides, the decoration is formed by a series of blind arches carved in stone, which along the west elevation become saw-toothed. The stones used for the masonry, for several sections, are arranged in a herringbone pattern. The mullioned windows, which give the façades a residential appearance, are all embellished with different decorations. They are seat-shaped on the inside and thus demonstrate the need, which will become increasingly insistent, to lead a less Spartan lifestyle.
The archivolt of the entrance door was also carved stone. The two fragments found (which have now disappeared), depicted two fish and a sign in the shape of a right angle with a point.
Before the restoration work began in 1988, the castle consisted only of the external masonry, the roof and the wooden floors had in fact completely collapsed.
After the restoration work, the new floors were placed at the same height as the previous ones, but reinforced concrete beams were used. In addition, to give more light to the rooms below, the designer, instead of building a pavilion roof in wood and slats like the original, opted for a reinforced concrete pavilion roof, vaulted in the central part. The perimeter of the roof is traversed by a walkway made of wood; the pavilion pitches, on the other hand, are clad in sheet metal and end in a vault made of Plexiglas to better illuminate the rooms below.

An innovative architectural typology: the monobloc castle

The castle of Ussel is the first example of a monobloc castle (with a single body) in Valle d'Aosta and is configured as an intermediate piece of architecture between the austere castle of Verrès and the more articulated one of Fénis. It is of great value from a historical point of view because, not having undergone any other building interventions after its construction, it was able to preserve its original characteristics.
The building represents a turning point in military architecture and constitutes the last evolutionary phase of the medieval castle. This great evolution in architectural typology, evident in Ussel, is not so visible in the contemporary Fénis castle. The reason for this is perhaps that the construction of Ussel was erected ex-novo, whereas the works in Fénis or Aymavilles were constrained by the pre-existing buildings that strongly conditioned the design choices. However, the designer of the monobloc shape that characterises the castle of Ussel may have been inspired not only by Syrian buildings (perhaps encountered during the Crusades), but also by buildings in Valle d'Aosta such as the residential part of the castle of Bramafan or the fortified house of Planaval.

The castle of Ussel was conceived to meet the new needs of the time:

• defensive needs: although probably more for precautionary purposes than for real protection needs, demonstrated by the impervious and strategic position of the building;
powerfulness: it seems in fact that Hebalus II built the castle precisely to demonstrate his greatness and not so much to defend the fief of Ussel, which had already belonged to his family for a long time;evolution towards less Spartan living conditions: the changed political conditions leading to the end of private wars between seigneurs and new innovations in the military field, lead towards a less and less imposing war apparatus (in fact, it is present at Ussel, but is less visible). In addition, new residential needs arose, demonstrated here by the presence of seat windows in place of embrasures, the search for a decorative apparatus in the façades, the creation of beautiful mullioned windows, all decorated differently and which are perhaps the most beautiful windows of the period to be found in the Aosta Valley.

Historical background

Built by Ebalo II of Challant in 1343 at the end of the intricate vicissitudes over inheritance issues that involved the Challant family on the death of Ebalo Magno.
The castle still retains its original structure, as no further building work was carried out in the following centuries.
The castle of Ussel was inhabited by the Challants until 1470. After the death of the last lord of Ussel, François de Challant, the family decided to move to other, more comfortable dwellings, so the building was used first as a prison and then as barracks. During the 16th century it was completely stripped of its war material and furnishings and finally abandoned. In 1556 it was bought by Captain Paolo di Madruzzo, but in 1573 it was bought back by Challant. In 1846, with the extinction of the powerful family, all possessions were inherited by the Passerin d'Entrèves. In 1963, consolidation operations were undertaken, during which 'keys' were inserted to prevent the collapse of the wall downstream.
In 1983, the Passerin d'Entrèves family donated the castle to the Region, which undertook its restoration thanks to a substantial grant from Baron Bich, a famous industrialist originally from Châtillon. The work, which began in 1988, remained at a standstill for several years and was only completed in 1999. That year saw the inauguration of the castle, used as an exhibition facility, with an exhibition dedicated to the life of the promoter, who became famous for his pens (Bic!). Every year, the castle of Ussel hosts an exhibition. Since 2000, the year of the exhibition on Napoleon's passage through the valley, visitors have also been able to access the roof of the building and, by taking the new 'patrol path', have the privilege of admiring the splendid panorama.

The disputes over the inheritance of Hebalo Magno di Challant

The construction of Ussel Castle was conditioned by a complex family dispute that arose following the death of the founder of the family, Hebalo Magno di Challant. The latter had appointed his four sons, Peter, James, Boniface and John, and the sons of his eldest son, Goffredo, who had died long ago: Aimone, William and Hebalus, as equal heirs. As shown by an ordinance of 1324, the uncles were supposed to leave half of the entire inheritance to their nephews, but they obviously could not agree.
The dispute between the two parties continued for several years, during which several attempts to reach an agreement were made, but they never succeeded.
In 1333, Peter of Challant, also on behalf of his brothers, ordered: "All the men living in Ussel as far below as the district of Verrez, to obey and satisfy William of Challant, canon of Padua, and his brothers Eballo and Aymonetto, lords of Fénis".
Finally in 1337, an agreement was reached that marked the end of the long dispute. In particular, Peter, James, Boniface and John recognised to their nephew Aimone the fief of Fénis and to their other nephew Ebalo the fiefs of Saint-Marcel and Ussel. In addition, Hebalus was granted the right to build a castle in Ussel, but not until six years after the signing of the agreement, i.e. from 1343.

The date of construction: a conundrum solved

The agreement that Hebalus II of Challant had made with his uncles did not allow him to build the castle of Ussel before 1343. Later data confirms the latter date as the year of construction; evidently the lord of Saint-Marcel and Ussel began work as soon as possible.

Zanolli, interpreting a parchment transcribed by Mochet, has provided us with a hypothesis regarding the dating of the castle:

"Accipe caput mittonis
cati, como e caponis
visum hominum duorum
octava die aprilis
dominus Ebalus nobilis
primium lapidem posuit
in castro quod constituit
in quodam monte Usselli"
....
"Take the head of Montone (M)
of Cati, Como and Caponis (CCC)
the eyes of 2 men(XX, XX)
the heads of 3 mares (III)

8 April
Ebalo the Younger
...
..."

This interpretation was later confirmed by the results of dendrochronological analysis conducted on the fragments of the floor beams still walled up inside the structure.