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At the heart of the finest wine “Grand Cru” producing area in Burgundy, between Dijon and Beaune on the Burgundy Fine Wine Circuit “Route des Grands Crus”, discover château de Gilly, former residence of the Cistercian Monks. It has preserved its authentic Fourteenth and Sixteenth Century character, reflected in its moats, French-style gardens and dining room with its magnificent vaulted ceiling.
The Château de Gilly had been listed as a historical monument in May 1978 but had been converted into a departmental theatre. A formidable amount of work had to be envisaged in order to restore and transform buildings that were anything but comfortable and luxurious into a hotel and what was almost wasteland into a garden!
A little history…
Originally a Benedictine Priory under the rule of Germain, Bishop of Paris, Gilly was much later sold to the Cistercians.
In the 16th century, Nicolas Boucherat II, the 51st Abbot of Cîteaux, decided to make it a house of relaxation. Pierre de Nivelle, who succeeded him in 1625, continued the work of embellishment with good taste and to him we owe in particular the current coat of arms of the “Château de Gilly” which was part of his own coat of arms. However, he did not transform the utilitarian rooms, such as the kitchen or the storeroom (now the drawing room and restaurant) which has retained their Cistercian strictness.
The French Revolution upset all of this and on 14 May 1790, the properties of the Cistercian monks were declared “public property”.
A succession of owners followed, installing farmers and workers in the former home of the abbots, until the department of the Côte-d’Or purchased it to turn it into the “Château-théâtre de Gilly-les-Cîteaux”, inaugurated in January 1978.
The Château de Gilly today…
“Le Clos Prieur” Restaurant is a superb rib-vaulted room supported by slender pillars was originally the cellar for the Cistercian monks of Gilly. Here they kept casks and barrels filled with wine from the Clos de Vougeot vines.The Château de Gilly has 48 rooms of 6 different categories, from the most elegant apartment to the most delightful room including a duplex suite, junior suite, “Deluxe”, “Superior” and “Traditional” rooms, located in the Château or in one of the two adjoining lodges from the same era: the Pavillon du Pere Abbé or the Pavillon des Jours.
All the rooms are elegantly decorated in keeping with their location and enjoy modern comforts. They offer pleasant views over the French garden, the village or the Vouge River.
In such a setting full of character, the cuisine has to be flavoursome and sophisticated, accompanied by an excellent wine menu. No less than 15.000 bottles and 600 types of wine are aged in the Château’s cellars. www.chateau-gilly.fr
