User Reviews
Bosses Castle stands next to the Parish Church of Saint-Léonard in Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses. It is a solid monoblock building embellished by cross windows, with three storeys above ground. The fiefdom dates back to the twelfth century: it belonged to the homonymous family ‘de Bocha’, enfeoffed by the Lords of Quart.
After the tower was dismantled due to conflicts with the Count of Savoy at the beginning of the 13th century, historical records do not mention it until the 16th century. To that period can be ascribed the Castle’s present architecture. Until 1742 it belonged to the aristocratic family of Bosses.
Sold by the regional government in 1984, at the end of the nineteen nineties the Castle was the focus of a EU Interreg program, whose aim was to convert it into a transnational cultural centre dedicated to the ‘Pays du Grand-Saint-Bernard’ and the homonymous pass. The original aspect was restored, although the architectural interventions operated in the course of the centuries are still evident.The vast interiors, with modern outfittings, host exhibitions, conferences and cultural events related to the local history and art history.
References:Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.