Did you know the Château de la Rochette in Lyon has a history richer than its unassuming exterior suggests? Standing before this impressive structure you see a building that evokes a convent more than a castle. Its aligned windows and long ground floor gallery are clues. Its massive chapel lacks ornamentation. This is the Château de la Rochette. This building in Caluire-et-Cuire boasts a history spanning centuries. It sits in the Plaine de la Caille overlooking the Saône. Originally a fortified house it has served many purposes. It’s also known as the Abbaye de la Rochette or Maison d’accueil de la Rochette. Legend says its name comes from a small rock upon which the first building stood.
The Château de la Rochette has known many owners. Jean-Baptiste Dufour a secretary for the Archbishop of Lyon owned it in the latter half of the 16th century. He was also an apostolic notary and banker. In 1562 the canons of the Île Barbe held a chapter here. This was after Calvinists sacked their own home. The Dufour lineage continued through various marriages and inheritances. The Charrier family followed the Dufour family. Then came Jean III a provost of Lyon’s merchants. He married Dorothée Mascrany. His son Jean IV became president of the treasurers of France. Their daughter Anne Geneviève married César Charles Lescalopier an intendant of Champagne. The Lescalopiers ceded the land to Antoine Servan a treasurer of France. The Loys family owned it before the revolution. Later it belonged to Charles Joseph Chossat and his wife.
In 1824 Suzanne du Peloux a cousin of Augustin de Lestrange acquired the Château. She founded a community of Benedictine nuns. The priory initially attached to the abbey of Pradines became an abbey in 1837. The abbey later moved to Belmont-Tramonet in Savoy in 1970. In 1975 the Château became a retirement home. Its age necessitated relocation in 2006. A new facility with the same name was built nearby. The Château de la Rochette underwent renovation in 2016. It now offers 50 housing units. The building stands as a testament to the enduring history of Lyon and its surroundings. Its multiple transformations mirror the changing times. It remains a fascinating piece of Lyon’s past.