Day Tower

Day Tower, locally known as Donjon de Day, lies north of the village of Neuville-Day, in the Ardennes department in France.

Day Tower was the keep of a larger castle which is said to have been built in 1249 by Sigebaud, Lord of Day, who accompanied Louis IX of France on the 7th Crusade. On 25 December 1390 the castle was damaged by a hurricane but rebuilt in the following decades.

Around 1430 the castle was inherited by the Bohans. They restored the castle and kept it for two centuries.

During the 17th century the castle became the property of Jean de Schulemberg, Marshal of France. Legend has it that an underground passage connected this castle to his other castle in nearby Mont-de-Jeux. Jean forwarded the castle to a Marie d'Estoquoy. Later it went to the Counts of Ancelet.

In the 18th century the castle was largely destroyed by a fire. This probably left Day Tower as the sole remnant of the medieval castle.

In 1828 Day Tower was sold to the Guilly family. They sold it in 1868 to Jean-Baptiste Capitaine. His descendants owned it up into the 20th century. The widow of his last descendant carried out several disorderly excavations in and around Day Tower in search of a supposed buried treasure, but without success. In 1984 the present owner acquired it and restored it.

Day Tower is a round keep with a circular stair turret attached to it. The residential wing at its side dates back to the 17th century. Legends also have it that there was a dungeon beneath the stair turret in which, according to one legend, the castle's lord, out of jealousy, imprisoned his wife until she died. According to another legend he imprisoned his niece here to force her to marry his son while her lover was on crusade. When the lover returned, he freed the niece and killed the lord, causing the lord to haunt the tower.

Day Tower is private property and can thus not be visited. But it can easily be seen from the public road. Must be a great place to live in.

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