MH classification 24 août 2004 (≈ 2004)
Donjon, protected moat and cellar.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The dungeon, the location of the old moats and the cellar with its access (Box B 85, 261, 262): classification by decree of 24 August 2004
Key figures
Famille Suzanne - Lords of Cerny
Sponsors of the dungeon until 1593.
Origin and history
The dungeon of Cerny-lès-Bucy is the last vestige of a strong house built in the 15th century by the Suzanne family, local lords until 1593. This monument, ruined during the Hundred Years' War, was originally presented as a rectangular enclosure flanked by circular towers. The square dungeon, 14.50 metres high under its parapet, was integrated into a wider defensive structure including moat and vaulted cellar.
Ranked as a historic monument in 2004, the dungeon retains significant architectural features: 2 metres thick granite walls, sled windows, archeries and mâchicoulis. Its interior, divided into five floors, was once home to shops, houserooms with cushions, and latrines. The later modified defensive crowning combines a brick parapet with stone crows, reflecting post-medieval adaptations.
The adjacent buildings, destroyed in 1836 after their assignment to the Laon Hospice in 1797, gave way to an existing farm. The dungeon illustrates the evolution of fortifications between the 13th and 15th centuries, mixing Charles V's castral heritage and late defensive innovations. Its granite apparatus and arched embrasures make it a rare example of picard military architecture in the late Middle Ages.
Today, the site also includes traces of the old moat and a classified cellar, accessible from the outside. Although partially integrated into agricultural constructions, the dungeon remains a tangible testimony of the conflicts and seigneurial life in Picardia during the Hundred Years War.
