Ivy-clad stone castle ruins

Of ruins and revolution

A symbol of France's long-crumbled feudal legacy, this castle ruin is all that remains of fortifications that defended this spot beginning in the 10th century. First noted in Roman times by the Latin name 'segiacum castrum,' the Château de Sigy-le-Châtel grew over the following millennium as numerous nobles passed its ownership around—until one, a provincial marquis, met the guillotine during the French Revolution. Once the dust settled, private ownership of the grounds resumed and persists to this day—but most of the neglected complex was demolished around 1850.