Free visit of the Chapel of Vauguillain
The castle that took the name of the chapel of Vauguillain was built at the end of the twelfth century. If there is no trace of a previous construction, it is certain, as evidenced by a Gallo-Roman stone sarcophagus found by a winegrower near the old cemetery in 1850, that this strategic point was always occupied. The enclosure of the castle included the seigneurial house that communicated with the chapel by a door, a well dug to the north of the chapel and in 1492 Archbishop Tristan de Salazar had built sheds and stables. The first known governor of the castle by texts is Symon de Jussemicourt in 1363.
In the 14th century during the Hundred Years' War, the walls of the fortress were destroyed and rebuilt by the inhabitants. This was again the case in 1406 and 1492. It served as a residence for the archbishops of Sens. One can see the ruins of the old castle enclosure including the big round tower called «Baron tower» which was connected to a square tower.
In 1521-22, the censier de Saint-Julien-du-Sault established that the castle was at the centre of a network of roads leading to Verlin and Précy. Seven houses and a building site stand in its immediate vicinity. Vineyards surround it, which clears the view of the assailants. A slope of 70 meters makes it very difficult to access the hamlet of Vauguillain and the city of Saint-Julien.
Dismantled in 1630 in execution of the royal ordinance of the Cardinal de Richelieu of 1626, the castle was abandoned, but the chapel, dedicated to Saint Julien5, was maintained by the villagers until the end of the 18th century.