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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Droizy Castle is an ancient castle built in the 12th century, with major transformations in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. Located on a hill near the Romanesque church of Droizy (Aisne, Hauts-de-France), it was originally a small rural fortress of the Soissonnais. Its 22-metre-high cylindrical dungeon dates back to the early 14th century, while the enclosure and seigneurial houses were added or modified in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. In the 17th century, the estate was converted into a farm, and much of the remains were destroyed in 1886.

The dungeon, accessible by a 14th-century access structure with an assommoir, had four vaulted levels illuminated by third-point windows. Four scallops in the dark of its summit, and latrines were attached to it. In the 15th century, the seigneury belonged to La Hire, a companion of arms of Jeanne d'Arc, marking its strategic importance. Ranked a historic monument in 1995 and 1997, the castle was bought in 1980 by architect Louis Bachoud, who undertook his restoration, including a glass roof for the dungeon and a helical staircase for public access.

Protected elements include the 12th century dungeon, 14th-15th century enclosure walls, and archaeological soils. Louis Bachoud's work, validated by the Historic Monuments Commission in 1997, aimed to preserve the original walls while adapting the site to a tourist visit. Today, only remains of the dungeon, the ramparts and the debris of the house, witness to its evolution from a medieval fortress to a farm, then a restored heritage site.

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