CHATEAU DE VIVEY

Vivey is a seigneury that has almost always belonged to the House of Grancey. It was a member of this family, François Rouxel de Médavy, brother of a French marshal, who built the present château in the 17th century. The residence was intended as his pleasure home, but the bishop of Langres did not stay there long, as he had not yet taken possession of his see, having been appointed archbishop of Rouen.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the château and fief belonged to the Seurot family, lords of Vaux, Isômes and Cusey (in today's Prauthoy canton). These wealthy Langres bourgeois only visited Vivey during the summer months. When Rose-Gabrielle, daughter of Jean Seurot and Anne Pillot, married Jean Léaulté (from a family of Dijon parliamentarians) on October 14, 1728, she received the fiefdom of Vivey as a dowry. The newlyweds had fourteen children, nine girls and five boys, one of whom died in infancy. Established in Langres, the Léaulté family forged alliances with several Langres families (Guyot de St-Michel, Lallemand de Pradine, Delecey, de Marivetz, etc.).
Jean Léaulté's four sons were ennobled by an edict of April 1771. Following the custom of the Ancien Régime, they added their fiefdom names to their surnames. Thus, Bernard, the eldest, took the name Léaulté de Lécourt, Louis, the second, Léaulté de Blondefontaine, Jean-Baptiste, the third, Léaulté de Grissey, like his father. The last, Jean-Christophe, kept the sole name of Léaulté de Vivey and, more than his brothers, belongs to the History of Vivey (cf. "La Croix-au-Loup").
Of medieval inspiration, the château stands out for its two towers with slate-covered conical roofs. After the Grancey family, several families succeeded one another. At the end of the 19th century, the château was owned by the Delecey family. Its romantic charm inspired André Theuriet, member of the Académie française, to write his novel Raymonde. The château then passed into the hands of Countess Mercier, who sold the estate in 1936 without an heir.
Only a few years later, for 12 years, the château was home to a hotel-restaurant, "Le Relais du Lys", which opened its doors during the summer season. Thanks to its good reputation, it welcomed visitors from far and wide, and even famous but incognito guests. Fresh produce and original dishes tinged with nouvelle cuisine were served in an almost historic setting.
Today, the old building remains empty and the vegetation is reclaiming the place, as it has long since done in the châtelain's other possessions.

No visits: private site visible only from the outside.

DATAtourisme France