Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Corcelles-les-Arts is a medieval building located in the bocage of Morvan, east of the village of Corcelles-les-Arts (Côte-d-Or). This small Gothic castle, structured around a central courtyard and a lower courtyard, preserves architectural elements from the 13th, 15th and 17th centuries, including a peg tower, defensive turrets and a circular dovecote. Its spatial organization reflects its defensive and seigneurial role, with partially water ditches and remains of drawbridge.

In 1474, Herard d'Aransanter, seigneur of Courcelles-les-Arces, possessed the domain in Alleu franc, with rights of high, medium and low justice. The castle then changed hands several times, passing between the Grancey, Malain families and the chapter of Notre-Dame de Beaune, which tried to reunite the crumbled plots. Jean Baptiste Bernardon managed to do so in 1618, but his death without a direct heir revived the division until 1767, when Claude Berbis became his only lord. In 1794 the Revolution imposed the destruction of the defensive elements (scenes, murders) in order to comply with the law of 13 rain.

The architecture of the castle mixes 13th and 15th century house bodies, with rectangular bays, a three-storey square tower, and a hexagonal staircase turret. The lower courtyard, accessible by a carriageway door, is surrounded by buildings of enclosure and square turrets. The facades, roofs and dovecote have been listed as historical monuments since 4 February 1976, highlighting the heritage value of this complex marked by Burgundy history.

The site, initially surrounded by French gardens (replaced today by a swimming pool), illustrates the evolution of castles in seigneurial residences, then in private properties. Its circular dovecote and its ditches recall its agricultural and defensive past, while the archères and canonières, although partially destroyed, testify to its adaptation to the conflicts of the 15th and 17th centuries.

The location of the castle, in the eastern part of the village, and its inclusion in the inventory of historical monuments make it a key part of the heritage of the Gold Coast. The available sources (Wikipedia, Mérimée base) confirm its address at Rue des Serves and its Insee code (21190), while pointing to uncertainties about certain periods of its history, including the estate shares after the 17th century.

External links