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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Tassigny, located in Sapogne-sur-Marche in the Ardennes, is a 16th century building, rebuilt after a fire in 1542 during the wars between François I and Charles Quint. Its rectangular plan, with four corner towers and a square house, reflects a defensive architecture adapted to the border tensions between France and the Germanic Empire. The vaulted chapel, integrated into the East Tower, and the Renaissance layouts of the 1630s (windows, stylized doors) testify to its evolution between medieval fortress and seigneurial residence.

The castle succeeds a medieval fortress destroyed by the Bourguignons, of which only the bases remain. In the 17th century, Dirk de Boetzelaer, provost of Yvois, the restoration between 1629 and 1631, adding Renaissance elements like adorned doors. In 1637, during the Thirty Years' War, the Marshal of Châtillon seized for France, formalized by the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659). The drawbridge was replaced in the 18th century by an emptied carriageway, and Eugene de Wal made Louis XVI modifications (pillars with acorns) before its sale in 1848.

Damaged during the two world wars (save in 1914-1918, French shells in 1940), the castle was saved by the Henriot-Grimaud family in the 1980s. Ranked a historic monument in 1991, it retains remarkable elements: ogival chapel, kitchen, towers, staircase, and eight carved pillars surrounding the entrance. Its history reflects the geopolitical stakes of the region, between France, Spain and the Empire, as well as its role as border garrison until the 18th century.

Contrary to a widespread belief, the Lambin family of Anglemont de Tassigny is not from this castle, but from another place called Tassigny near Carignan. The site, visible from the road leading to the Abbey of Orval, illustrates the military and seigneurial architecture of the Ardennes, between medieval heritage and classical transformations.

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