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Until the end of the first millennium, secular buildings (residential and domestic quarters) seem to have been built exclusively from non-durable materials (conical mounds of earth, wood). Around the year 1000, wood was increasingly replaced by stone for the construction of residential towers. The keep (freestanding defence tower in a castle complex) became not only a fortified building but also a symbol of power.
The castle at Druyes-les-Belles-Fontaines is today a picturesque and impressive ruin, set high up on a natural rock ledge. The corners of the square structure are protected by circular towers. The living quarters were situated above the steep rockface overlooking the valley.
The mighty gate-tower with its pointed archway and pier buttresses in the centre of the reverse side has survived almost intact.
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