Château Morestel (Grône)

The castle was built between 1245 and 1250 by Peter III de la Tour, also known as “Morestel” – a name he adopted in honor of his grandmother Margarete née Morestel. Peter Morestel was a feudal lord under Count Aymon of Savoy and the episcopal Mense, serving as Lord of Granges from 1244 and as Vidame of Grône from 1245, later also of Bagnes from 1269. His lands included areas such as Lens, Chermignon, Granges, Grône, Daillet, and Loye, with him and his family primarily residing at Grône Castle. For over three generations, the castle served as the residence of the Lords Morestel. Following the death of Perrod Morestel in 1366 without descendants, the estates and the castle were bequeathed equally among his wife Anthonia of Sarro and his sisters Alésia and Marquise. Marquise, in turn, transferred her share to her husband Jean Platea d'Anchettes. Château Morestel suffered destruction in 1384 and again in 1417 by Savoyard troops and was subsequently a ruin. In 1565, Jean Olivier, the vice-castellan of Grône, erected a new castle on the ruins, adorning it with a tower. Evidence of this can still be found today in inscriptions on a ceiling beam on the first floor of the current council chamber. In 1586, the municipality acquired the castle through an exchange agreement. From then until 1860, it was often referred to as the “House of the Municipality” or “Tower of the Municipality,” before it was increasingly called a manor house or castle again from 1860, and after its classification as a historical monument in 1910, it was regularly referred to as Château Morestel.

Château Morestel is situated in Grône, in the Sierre district of the Valais canton in Switzerland. It is located at an altitude of approximately 520 meters above sea level.

Château Morestel is currently privately owned.

• Ruins of Châteaux Granges (castle), approx. 1.1 km away
• Ruins of Château Chalais (castle), approx. 4.5 km away
• Château de Tourbillon (castle), approx. 7.0 km away
• Château Valère (castle), approx. 7.3 km away