Ancien château de Blaise

The Ancien Château de Blaise — the former château of Blaise — is a cluster of protected outbuildings in the hamlet of Blaise, now part of the commune of Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, in the Haute-Marne department of the Grand Est region. It sits roughly 23 km northwest of Chaumont, in the historic province of Champagne.

What will you see there?

The name is a little misleading: no grand manor house survives here in listed form. What is legally protected are the estate's working buildings — the facades and roofs of two outbuildings, one on the north side and one on the south, plus a dovecote attached to the northern structure. Before the French Revolution, the right to keep a dovecote (droit de colombier) was a seigneurial privilege, so its presence marks the former social standing of the estate's owners. The buildings themselves are plain, functional stone farm structures typical of rural Champagne, without elaborate ornament.

How do you get there?

The site stands on Rue des Moulins in Blaise, within the commune of Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. The easiest approach is via Colombey-les-Deux-Églises itself, reached by departmental road from Chaumont (roughly 25–30 minutes by car) or from Bar-sur-Aube. The property is privately owned, so it can only be viewed from the public road — there is no access to the courtyard or the buildings.

History and protection

The facades and roofs of the outbuildings, along with the dovecote, were listed on France's supplementary inventory of historic monuments (inscription à l'inventaire supplémentaire des monuments historiques) by decree of 9 July 1987. The listing covers cadastral plots A 499 and A 501. The complete protection file is held at the Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie in Charenton-le-Pont, near Paris, and can only be consulted in person — it isn't sent out by post or email. Available records don't give a construction date or a list of past owners, which is common for modest rural farm buildings of this kind.

When should you visit?

Since the visit is limited to viewing the buildings from outside, timing matters mainly for comfort. Spring and early autumn bring mild weather and quieter roads than the height of summer, making them the pleasantest times to pass through. It's worth pairing the stop with a visit to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises itself, best known as the home of General Charles de Gaulle — including his house, La Boisserie, and the Mémorial Charles-de-Gaulle with its landmark Cross of Lorraine.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside the château? No. The property is private, and heritage protection covers only the facades, roofs, and dovecote — the grounds and buildings can only be seen from the public road.

How does this differ from the Château de Cirey-sur-Blaise? They're two separate sites in the Blaise valley in Haute-Marne. The Château de Cirey-sur-Blaise, famous for Voltaire's stay there, lies in a different commune and has no connection to the former château of Blaise.

Why is it called the "former" château? The name "ancien château" signals that only the estate's working buildings — the outbuildings and dovecote — survive today, not the original residence itself.

When did legal protection begin? On 9 July 1987, when the facades and roofs of the outbuildings and the dovecote were listed on the supplementary inventory of historic monuments.