Chivres and Courcelles

Around five kilometres south of Corvol lies the small hamlet of Chivres, attached to the village of Courcelles. As elsewhere in this area, there is evidence of prehistoric habitation. The first parish was recorded prior to the XII century, and the village developed in the Middle Ages.

From the XIV century, the fortified Château de Bazarnes, strategically situated at the entrance to the village on the banks of the river of Saint Eugenie, once controlled passage through the valley of the same name. Substantially remodelled in the XVI and XIX centuries, the château is today a pleasing example of the architecture of that period.

The Château de Bazarnes was a fief of the Châtellenie of Corvol l’Orgueilleux. The name of ‘Bazarnes’ is not, however, mentioned in the Inventory of Titles of Nevers and Marolles, and the history of this fief remains somewhat confused, according to local historians. The château was later the home of Count General Allix de Vaux, a hero of the wars of the Revolution and the Empire, who had married the heiress of the château as his first wife. The General died there in 1836.

Local historian Dr Létinois suggests a connection with the Château de la Porte in Corvol, which he claims was originally named the ‘Château de Bazarnes’. In his account, Née de la Rochelle mentions the château de Bazarnes as being situation at one ‘lieu’ (league) from Corvol, and separated from the village of Chives by a trench of ‘two or three feet’.