First written entry 1303 (≈ 1303)
Property associated with Rochechouart for the first time.
28 octobre 1678
Blessing of the chapel
Blessing of the chapel 28 octobre 1678 (≈ 1678)
Chapel of Our Lady of Consolation consecrated.
31 décembre 1993
Inscription of the chestnut
Inscription of the chestnut 31 décembre 1993 (≈ 1993)
Protection under Historic Monuments.
23 septembre 1998
Inscription chapel and dovecote
Inscription chapel and dovecote 23 septembre 1998 (≈ 1998)
Extension of heritage protection.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Entry châtelet (cad. H 415): inscription by order of 31 December 1993 - Chapel and pigeon-house (cad. G 12, 14): inscription by order of 23 September 1998
Key figures
Famille de Rochechouart - Historical owners
Owns the castle from the 14th to the 18th century.
Origin and history
Cercigny Castle, located in Vivonne (Nouveau-Aquitaine), was first mentioned in 1303 as a property of the Rochechouart family, which kept it until the 18th century. The building, partially destroyed during the Hundred Years' War and the wars of religion, was abandoned before being rebuilt in the seventeenth century. Its architecture combines a medieval entrance castle (late 14th century, renovated in the 19th century) and three rectangular wings arranged in arc of circle, completely remodelled in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The chapel of Notre-Dame de la Consolation, blessed on October 28, 1678, and a round pigeon-house with 3,300 bolts (the largest in Vienna) testify to its seigneurial importance. The entrance châtelet was inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1993, followed by the chapel and pigeon house in 1998. The site, although transformed, retains traces of its defensive and residential past, linked to local history and the conflicts that have marked the region.
Property of the Rochechouart for almost five centuries, the castle illustrates the architectural evolution of noble houses, moving from a medieval fortress to a pleasant residence. The successive destructions and reconstructions reflect the political and religious upheavals of France, from the Hundred Years' War to modern developments. Today, its arc plan and its protected elements make it an example of the Poitevin castral heritage.
