Château de Montgilbert The Château de Montgilbert is a ruined medieval fortress located in the " commune " of Ferrières - sur - Sichon , 25 km to the south - east of Vichy in the Allier " département " of France . Architecture . Built during the 13th century , the Château de Montgilbert is located at the top of a rocky hillock in one of the turns of the Vareille , a brook feeding Sichon , a small tributary of the Allier River . It is composed of two concentric walls . The external fortification , adapted for ground combat , reinforces the defences ( towers , arrow slit s ) in the gently sloped west and south sides , and delimits a low courtyard that contained the servants ' quarters . This enclosure was expanded during the 15th century with artillery batteries and a bastion with thick walls that covered the overexposed original entry . The inner , approximately square , fortification comprises round towers at each corner , where arches ( chapel ) are still visible . Square towers were situated in the centre of the curtain walls , but the majority of them have disappeared . This curtain walls were crowned with a covered path . A door with a portcullis , framed by two towers , gives access to the high courtyard containing the lordly residence , the ceremonial room , outhouses including the large - chimneyed kitchen , as well as many storage areas : a water cistern , a corn silo , and cellars located under the home with access staircases . A covered gallery existed along the buildings besides the high courtyard . From the 15th century , these buildings were modified to make them more comfortable . The windows were opened , the walls were coated with murals , and an approach ramp to the postern in the lordly residence was constructed . Subsequently , the castle fell into neglect . Rooms were abandoned and windows were walled , and the castle was completely abandoned in the 18th century , just before the French Revolution . History . At a key point between the Auvergne , Forez , and Bourbonnais , Montgilbert was probably built by the family of Saint - Gérand around 1250 , during the reign of Saint Louis . Around 1280 , the Aycelin family bought the castle . They were rich bourgeoisie , later ennobled , of the Auvergne . The castle was passed by marriage to the De Vienne family . However , Rodrigue de Villandrando , a Spanish mercenary in the pay of King Charles VII of France , confiscated the castle from 1434 to 1439 , during the Hundred Years ' War . Important modifications to the castle ( including the bastion and external walls ) were carried out during this period . During the Renaissance , Montgilbert became less and less a place of residence for its owners , the family of Saulx - Tavannes . The French Wars of Religion were covering the country with blood , and the Bourbonnais was definitively attached to France . Under Louis XIV , the owners lived among the noble court . Certain parts of the castle were given up , starting its ruin . Around 1770 , the last heir , Jean Baptiste Bravard d ' Eyssat Duprat , returned to Montgilbert with his mother . To coax him to leave this obsolete castle , she probably unpinned the roof . In 1793 , the castle was sold as a national asset . During the nineteenth century , inhabitants of the neighbourhood used the castle as a stone quarry , accelerating its ruin . Current Situation . The castle of Montgilbert was registered on the " Inventaire Supplémentaire des Monuments Historiques " on October 11 , 1930 . It is described in the French Ministry of Culture database as " perhaps the doyen of feudal fortresses in the region " ( " " peut - être la doyenne des forteresses féodales de la région " " ) . An association to save the site was created in 1974 after some initial work began in 1973 . This association is active around the year ( as of the beginning of 2010 ) and organizes construction jobs each year for youth volunteers . This association is affiliated with the Union Rempart , a federation of associations to safeguard the cultural heritage of France .