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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Bois-le-Roi, located in Nailly in the Yonne, is a building built in the 2nd quarter of the 17th century on an irregular rectangular plane. It consists of two levels under a roof of mansardous tiles, flanked by four round towers: a 15th century tower and three turrets. Digs girdle the whole, while the east facade, pierced by a porch tower (former drawbridge), connects the north building to a medieval tower transformed into a dovecote in 1636. This exceptionally preserved dovecote has 1,200 bolts, a rotating ladder and a quadricentennial oak frame. The castle underwent major restorations in 1930, 1970-1980, and 2011-2012. Joined the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments (ISMH) since 1981, it is affiliated with the Historical House and the Old French Houses.

The building of the castle was authorized by the archbishops of Sens, lords of the Barony of Nailly, who granted Jean Baptiste Couste the fief erection of his rural estate on 29 Aug. 1633. The latter, founder of the castle, was a messenger from the King of France's ambassador to the Grand Turk in Constantinople. His ennobling by Louis XIII in 1636 marked the transformation of the medieval tower into a dovecote, symbol of his new status. The site thus combines defensive elements inherited from the Middle Ages with a typical 17th century residential architecture.

Heritage protections specifically concern facades and roofs, classified by decree of 5 October 1981. The castle, located 6 km from Sens, embodies the evolution of seigneurial residences in Burgundy, between feudal heritage and adaptations to the noble uses of modern times. Its dovecote, one of the best preserved in the region, bears witness to the economic and symbolic importance of these structures in the rural areas of the Ancien Régime.

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