Misery Castle

The Misery Manor House is of medieval origin and contains interesting wall paintings dating from the end of the 15th century.

Among the numerous properties that Petermann von Faucigny acquired from Antoine von Saliceto in 1460 was a fortified stone house. As a banker from Asti, von Saliceto was mentioned as a member of the Council of Fribourg from 1441, and he owned extensive estates in Fribourg and Murten. When he was found guilty of looting in the Fribourg region, he was beheaded in Fribourg in 1460. As for von Faucigny, from Fribourg and a leading political figure at the end of the 15th century (mentioned from 1457, died in 1513), he made a name for himself as both a statesman and a military and diplomatic leader. In 1553, the house still belonged to Petermann's heirs.

The later history of the property is very confusing. However, we know that in 1713 and 1731 the house belonged to the Grauhai von Forel family. Jeanne Marie Valbourg (Walburga is a given name!) was mentioned twice as owner. The daughter of Antoine Griset von Forel, born in 1678, died (after 1733) without having married. After her, Nicolas-Albert-Joseph von Gottrau von Léchelles (1707-1779) became owner, without us knowing whether he inherited it directly or indirectly, or whether he bought it. In 1911, the von Gottraus sold the manor house to the von Ernst family, who resold it to the municipality of Misery in the same year. After serving as a school, poor families were housed there. In 1957, the artist painter Raymond Meuwly saved this remarkable residence, which was threatened with ruin and demolition, at the last minute. He bought it from the municipality and, thanks to a phased restoration, made it habitable again.

In 1460, a "domus murata cum stanno, viridario et orto" is mentioned. Should this be understood as a stone house, fortified, surrounded by a moat with a garden and park in front, or simply a stone house surrounded by a pond and equipped with the usual vegetable garden?

One had to wait until the 18th century to find archive documents that directly mentioned the manor house. On the other hand, no document reveals the stages of its construction, and no investigations were carried out apart from the restoration work undertaken from 1957 under the direction of Professor Alfred A. Schmid. Consequently, the analysis of the building in its current state can tell us little about its past. The history of the construction proposed here, in particular the chronology of the work, therefore often has a hypothetical character. It is intended as a starting point for later research.

Firstly, it is clear that the manor house is of medieval origin. However, we do not know whether the half-timbered facades and the roofs of the farmhouses date to the 16th century or the first half of the 17th century. In the Baroque era, the manor house underwent considerable alterations, i.e., the installation of a prominent masonry staircase, the redesign of the bays, and a new decoration. The current appearance of the building reflects this construction phase. The architectural forms date from the first quarter of the 18th century. Jeanne-Marie Valbourg Griset von Forel seems to have been the originator of these alterations. Perhaps she had lived in this house.

In 1957, the house was in such a deplorable state that some elements of the Baroque interior could not be saved; likewise, a turret and a gallery with wooden latrines, erected against the eastern facade, from the Renaissance or Baroque era, were demolished. A complete renovation of the walls had to be carried out.