The La Tour manor is located in the commune of Cheylas, in the department of Isère, 8 km southwest of Pontcharra.
Its origin dates back to the last third of the 15th century when mines were exploited in the region, and the ore had to be transported to furnaces located on the other bank of the Isère. To protect this economically strategic route against possible Savoyard incursions into Dauphiné, a military structure was erected.
In the 16th century, the lord of the place was the knight Sébastien Guiffrey. History then mentions that in 1591, during the Battle of Pontcharra, the manor became the headquarters of Constable Lesdiguières (François de Bonne).
Then, in the 18th century, the estate was owned by the Merlin family, one of whose members, advisor to the Parliament of Grenoble, Merlin du Cheylas, became infamous by being condemned for having fought a duel.
Today, after having been for a time the center of an agricultural estate, the manor has regained all its luster. Formerly surrounded by ditches, the three-level house, some of the decorations of which have disappeared but which has retained its Renaissance-style windows, includes a beautiful staircase turret, 14 m high and with three floors, on the garden façade.
At the rear, a more massive circular tower with archers seems to correspond to the original fortified site.
Among the commons, we observe an old silkworm farm dedicated to the breeding of silkworms dating from the 17th century.
The whole is protected as historic monuments. The still private property is not open to the public but the beautiful silhouette of the manor is easily visible from the road. Information on +33 4 76 71 71 90.
