The oldest recorded mention of the place (Feyena) has been dated to 1325. At this time, there was a fortified manor or a castle at the site, the remains of which were reconstructed and expanded in a romantic fashion during the 19th century but are still visible in the manor park.
The present manor house was commissioned by the Baltic German von Stackelberg family and built 1784-1797. It was designed by an anonymous Italian architect in latebaroque style. The wings of the long main house have circular pavilions with preserved decorated vaulted roofs, where formerly the family displayed their art collection, which reputedly held works by Hans Holbein, Nicolas Poussin, Claude Lorrain and Antoine Watteau . The main building also showcases some preserved architectural details, notably two painted ceilings as well as further, albeit later, architectural details.
The most famous resident of the manor house was the archaeologist Otto Magnus von Stackelberg who grew up there. Nowadays the manor houses an elementary school (est. 1855), a public library and a public Internet point of access.
References:The historical centre of Briançon is a strongly fortified town, built by Vauban to defend the region from Austrians in the 17th century. Its streets are very steep and narrow, though picturesque. Briançon lies at the foot of the descent from the Col de Montgenèvre, giving access to Turin, so a great number of other fortifications have been constructed on the surrounding heights, especially towards the east.
The Savoyards made two raids into French territory in 1691 and 1692. As a result, Vauban was dispatched to inspect the frontier defences, which had been ill-equiped to deal with the attack from Savoy. He returned to the area in 1700 to check on the progress that had been made since his first visit. When Vauban visited Briançon, work on the defences had already started under a local engineer, Monsieur d"Angrogne in 1692.