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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Logis de Sigogne is a historic monument located in the hamlet of Sigogne, 2 km northwest of the village of Coulgens, in Charente (Nouvelle-Aquitaine). This site, known since the thirteenth century as seigneury, has traversed several architectural periods, with major remains dating from the thirteenth, fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. Today, only the entrance tower of the 14th century and a polygonal staircase tower added to the 16th century remain, witnesses to a rich but partially erased seigneurial past.

The seigneury of Sigogne has changed hands on several occasions: it was held by the Acarie in the 15th century, then passed to the Rochefoucauld, then to the Tizon d'Argence in the 16th century. In 1670 François Vinaud became its owner, followed by François de Bordage in the 18th century, whose family retained the estate until the Revolution. After this period, the house is sold as a national property and divided into 25 lots. In the 20th century, the 17th century residential buildings, arranged in square around a terrace, were demolished in 1970, leaving only underground elements and the entrance tower.

Ranked a historic monument in 1986, the house of Sigogne, then in ruins, was saved by the Marpen club which began its restoration between 1985 and 2008. The poterno tower, pierced by a vaulted passage in a broken cradle and flanked by a hexagonal turret with a screw staircase, still bears traces of marteled coats of arms. Acquired in 2018 by the Ferrant family, the house is today a private home closed to the public, after a complete rehabilitation.

Architecturally, the site illustrates the evolution of seigneurial fortifications: the high and imposing entrance tower was initially integrated into a square or rectangular ensemble, surrounded by ramparts leading to cylindrical towers. The 15th-century developments, such as the poterne, and the 16th-century additions (hexagonal tower) reflect the successive adaptations of the building. The underground rooms, still present, recall the strategic importance of the place in medieval times.

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