The church of Notre-Dame was founded around 1060 by Robert I of Vitré and donated in 1116 to the Abbey of Saint-Melaine in Rennes. It was almost entirely rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries: only the choir remains of the old church, whose windows were modified in the 15th century. The southern façade, built in two campaigns (1480-1500 and 1530-1540) has seven gables separated by pinnacle buttresses. It is adorned with a beautiful pulpit for preaching. The west façade dates from the 1580s, its door has kept its original leaves, dated 1586. The collateral and the north crosspiece were rebuilt in 1467. The spire of the central tower (1420-1442) was rebuilt in stone in 1858.
References:Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.