Behind the dressed-stone façade of an 18th-century hôtel particulier, one of Semur's grand private mansions, Maison Jazey keeps alive the memory of one of the town's great families: the de Massol de Vergy.
In the heart of the medieval town of Semur-en-Auxois, in the Côte-d'Or, the house unfolds its dressed-stone façade, its wrought ironwork, its parquet floors — Versailles and Hungarian point — and its period panelling, witnesses to the Burgundian classicism of the Age of Enlightenment.
Naval officers, Knights of Malta, prize-winning cattle breeders: for nearly two centuries, the story of the people who lived here was bound up with that of the town.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the house was the home of the de Massol de Vergy family, one of the foremost families of Semur-en-Auxois. Two figures capture its spirit: service to the King and a passion for the Burgundian land.
Officer of the King · 1725 – 1796
Born in Semur-en-Auxois on 29 June 1725, Georges — known as Gaspard — took up a career in arms very young. He joined the Royal Navy in 1740 and served for almost twenty years, eighteen of them at sea: campaigns in the Mediterranean and the Levant, a shipwreck off the Île d'Aix that he survived, and wounds that would mark him for life. He ended his career as an aide-de-camp in Germany.
An exceptional cattle breeder · 1808 – 1899
A French pioneer in crossing the Durham and Charolais breeds, from 1863 he was a prize-winner more than 326 times at agricultural shows and exhibitions — as many as twelve awards for twelve animals shown at a single world's fair. He died in Semur-en-Auxois in 1899, and with him the elder branch of the family came to an end.
Inside the house, a period fireplace still keeps its armorial cast-iron fireback, bearing a coat of arms in relief crowned with a coronet. A Louis XV stone mantel — shell and acanthus leaves — frames it.
This direct witness to the past ties the house to the noble families who lived here, and offers the visitor a fragment of history to contemplate by the fireside.
The house's name, by contrast, is more recent. It is that of Doctor Jazey, a physician who practised in the house. On his death he bequeathed it to the neighbouring school, which turned it into an administrative building before selling it to fund its own renovation works.
The house was then divided into apartments. That is where our chapter begins: Stéphanie and Thomas have acquired the apartments one after another, since 2021, to restore the place to its first calling — welcoming guests.
We welcome travellers in search of high-end stays that combine comfort, space and discretion.
We are Stéphanie, originally from Switzerland, and Thomas, French-American, both entrepreneurs across hospitality, training, culture and technology.
After living in Paris, in Switzerland and abroad, we chose to bring this exceptional place back to life by developing an independent, structured project here, combining our areas of expertise and our professional activities.
Two apartments await you in our private mansion: the Suite Côté Jardin and the Studio Côté Cour. Book direct for the best rate guaranteed.
See our rooms