Known from the 10th century onwards, the castle was later rebuilt in solid form at the top of the hill. It included a castral chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame-de-la-Tour (tower = keep) with its own chaplain. The altar with two side niches can still be seen at the bottom of a stone staircase, in a narrow, circular apse that was once cross-vaulted, with a narrow, splayed axial window. Taken and recaptured during the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion, the castle and all its fortifications were dismantled by the royal troops, supported by the Langrois militia led by Antoine Ribonnier. A major operation to salvage the architectural elements was undertaken for the occasion by the villagers, who used them to repair or rebuild their houses and retaining walls.
The twenty or so acres of the castle site were excavated between 1984 and 1990, and the site that was to be developed remained as it was.
No visits: private site only visible from the outside.
Château de Montsaugeon
