Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Corcelles was founded in the 11th century as a strong house, but its major reconstruction took place in the 15th century under the impetus of Antoine de Thil, the first certified lord. The site, strategic near the Douby River, marked the border between Burgundy and Beaujolais. In 1432, the castle was destroyed by the Bourguignons and rebuilt around 1470 by Jean de Laye, who erected a square tower and two round towers. The family of La Magdeleine-Ragny became its owner in 1522, adding Renaissance elements such as a covered gallery and a Gothic chapel decorated with stained glass windows.

In the 16th century, Captain Lazare Tircuy de La Barre, famous for having captured Colonel Alphonse of Ornano, acquired the estate in 1592 thanks to a ransom of ECU 40,000. The castle played a discreet role during the Wars of Religion: in 1655, its Protestant owner, Laurent de l'Aube, welcomed Pastor Jean Léger, involved in Vaudese Easter. The French Revolution marked a turning point: François Joseph Tircuy and his wife, imprisoned as nobles, saw their estate fragmented to equip their daughters.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1927, the castle retains defensive elements (fossed, mâchicoulis) and residential elements (renaissance logis, well-worked, 17th century cuvier). In the 20th century, it welcomed intellectuals during the Second World War and inspired the painter Maurice Utrillo, who made paintings depicting the well and the vineyards. Since 1984, the Richard family has been operating a wine estate there, while opening the castle to visit.

The architecture mixes medieval (quadrangular enclosure, towers) and Renaissance (galerie, chapel with coat of arms of Magdeleine-Ragny). The 3.5-hectare park, with its French-style gardens and centuries-old trees, completes this emblematic Beaujolais site, a witness to eight centuries of seigneurial and winemaking history.

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