Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château fort de Vignory, located in the department of Haute-Marne in the Grand East region, is an architectural complex whose elements visible today mainly date from the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. Although his first written mention dates back to the years 1050-1052 in the form of a castrum held by Guy, the first lord of Vineyard, no vestiges of that time remain. The site was originally a seigneurial residence, before undergoing major transformations to adapt to military developments, including the addition of ramparts and artillery towers.

The monuments still standing include the dungeon, built in the middle of the 12th century, which served as a reception place for the Lord, as well as the tower at the Puits (mid-15th century), designed to defend the entrance of the village on the Chaumont side. The cannon tower, built at the end of the 15th century, illustrates the adaptation of the castle to artillery, while a Armored Renaissance gate, probably added around 1555 for Henri de Lenoncourt, marks the elevation of Vineyard in Baronnia. Part of the courtes and towers were destroyed in the 19th century, but on-site models reconstruct its original appearance.

Ranked a historic monument since 1989 for the dungeon, the tower at the Puits and the south courtines, the site saw its cannon tower inscribed in 2022. The current remains, owned by the commune, also include segments of ramparts on the Valnoise side and an artillery tower overlooking the valley, partially demolished in 1846. Renovation works are under way to preserve these elements, while old buildings (chapel, seigneurial house, dovecote) have disappeared for lack of maintenance. The castle thus reflects almost five centuries of military and seigneurial history in Champagne-Ardenne.

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