Tourbillon Castle

The Tourbillon castle (Château de Tourbillon) is a castle in Sion in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is situated on a hill and faces the Basilique de Valère, located on the opposite hill. The castle is currently in a state of ruins following a fire in 1788.

History

Tourbillon castle was built in at the end of the 13th century, sometime between 1290 and 1308, by the bishop Boniface de Challant. A large part of the castle was first destroyed by the Patriots of the Valais in 1416. The castle was then rebuilt in 1477 by Gullaume VI of Raron, wanting to build a chapel and an exterior wall built with battlements. However, in 1788, a gigantic fire reduced the castle to ashes; this became its ruin.