Château de Bazoches-sur-Vesles, Medieval castle ruins in Bazoches-et-Saint-Thibaut, France.
Château de Bazoches-sur-Vesles is a ruined 13th-century fortress whose surviving trapezoidal enceinte is built of carefully coursed limestone. Three round towers, 6 metres in diameter and pierced by tall arrow slits, remain on the western front. Of the former living quarters only a 13th-century twin window near the north corner tower and vaulted cellars survive.
The castle was built in the 13th century as a defensive stronghold and later converted to farm use by the early 1900s. World War I brought serious damage to the structures when the location fell within active conflict zones.
The Bazoches family, a cadet branch of the Châtillon house descended from Milon de Bazoches (died before 1087), gave three bishops to the diocese of Soissons in the 13th century, including Jacques de Bazoches, who received homage for the castle from Nicolas de Bazoches in 1232. The lordship was first held as a vassal of the archbishops of Reims.
The ruins stand in the southern part of the village of Bazoches-sur-Vesles, close to the railway line, in the Aisne department. Only the remains of the trapezoidal enclosure are listed, so the site is seen from the outside; the ground is uneven and partly overgrown. The three round towers of the western front measure 6 metres in diameter.
The castle was damaged in 1858 by a farmer, then destroyed in 1918 during World War I. Of the old dwellings, only a 13th-century twin window near the north corner tower and vaulted cellars remain. The three round towers on the west front are 6 metres in diameter and pierced by tall arrow slits.
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