Château de Bois-Sire-Amé, Medieval castle ruins in Vorly, France

Château de Bois-Sire-Amé is a ruined castle east of Vorly, about twenty kilometres south of Bourges, at the edge of a forest. Of the residence only the corps de logis survives, without floors or roofs: two steep pointed stone gables stand with the roof between them gone, and to their right a cylindrical tower carries a dark conical roof, a small high window and a thin rod at its peak. Jagged wall fragments lie around it, in pale grey and tan masonry.

Charles VI authorised Jacquelin Trousseau, a cloth merchant enriched in Bourges, to build a fortress here in July 1396; the act mentions an older tower on his lands, linked to an 11th-century motte nearby. In June 1447 Trousseau married Perrette, daughter of Jacques Cœur, and her dowry helped embellish the castle in Gothic style. Charles VII stayed from 1446 and almost year-round after 1447, holding festivities and signing ordinances; after 1456 he seems not to have returned. The Trousseau family lost it through misfortune, and Colbert bought it in February 1682.

The name Bois-Sire-Amé derives from Boscus Domini Amelii, "the wood of master Amelius", linked to Ameil du Bois and recorded in acts of 1150 and 1159 for the Cistercian abbey of Noirlac. The castle was also called Bois-Trousseau after Jacquelin Trousseau, the cloth merchant who built it. Charles VII stayed here regularly from 1446 and held festivities in the residence.

The site is classified as a protected historical monument and remains private property, so visiting the interior requires advance authorization. Visitors should check access conditions before traveling to the location and respect the property restrictions.

The name Bois-Sire-Amé derives from Boscus Domini Amelii, "the wood of master Amelius", tied to Ameil du Bois, to whom the feudal site was attributed in 1220. The same wood appears as Nemus Amelii de Charentone in the 1150 founding act of Noirlac Abbey, confirmed in 1159.