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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Cisery, located in the department of Yonne on the commune of Cisery (now Guillon-Terre-Plaine), is an ancient seigneurial castle whose remains date mainly from the 13th century, although transformations took place in the 14th and 16th centuries. Originally, this castle was surrounded by large moat filled with water and flanked by four towers, with access secured by a 16th century drawbridge poter. Despite its impressive appearance, it played only a secondary role in the Middle Ages, serving mainly as a refuge for local populations during the lootings of armed gangs in the region.

Today's surviving buildings include a house body with a round tower with a conical roof, as well as a square tower with the old drawbridge mechanism, equipped with a brace on consoles. The construction uses two distinct materials: limestone, extracted from the local basement of Terre-Plaine, and granite, imported from the neighbouring Morvan. These remains illustrate medieval defensive architecture adapted to the geological resources of Burgundy.

The castle of Cisery was listed as a historical monument by order of 3 August 1976, thus recognizing its heritage value. The protected elements specifically include the facades and roofs of buildings still standing, identified under cadastral reference E 83. Although transformed into a farm, the site retains tangible traces of its seigneurial past and its role in protecting the inhabitants of the Land-Plaine during the troubled periods of the Middle Ages.

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