Castle of Courcelles-le-Roy, Renaissance castle in Beaulieu-sur-Loire, France

The Château de Courcelles-le-Roy is a stone castle arranged around a quadrilateral courtyard, with three wings enclosing the inner court. Its south-west facade dates from the 17th century, towers were added in the 19th century, and the chapel was built at the end of the 18th century. The walls are pale and weathered, with steep dark grey slate roofs and tall brick chimneys; a tall square tower with a pyramidal roof rises above a base of rough stone blocks, and a curved archway with a wooden door sits at the base.

Postcards issued after World War I presented the castle as a former temporary residence of Charles VII and Agnès Sorel. In 1788 Pierre Royer painted it, a work now at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. The Dancourt family owned it, then Jacques-Antoine-Hippolyte de Guibert married Dancourt's great-granddaughter around 1788; Marshal Macdonald held it from 1803 to 1840, and his descendants until 1912. Between 1940 and 1945 it housed children.

Postcards issued after the First World War presented the castle as a former temporary residence of Charles VII and Agnès Sorel, a claim the sources record without confirming. The building itself is now abandoned, while the 280-hectare estate and the outbuildings are maintained. The dovecote has been listed as a monument historique since 17 September 1986.

The castle stands in the Courcelles woods northwest of Beaulieu-sur-Loire, at about 180 metres altitude, and is reached from the village by road. The main building is abandoned and only the 280-hectare estate and the outbuildings are maintained, so the grounds are not laid out for visitors. The dovecote, listed as a monument historique since 17 September 1986, is the element to locate on site.

The dovecote is the only part of the estate listed as a monument historique, inscribed on 17 September 1986. The main building itself was left entirely abandoned, while only the 280-hectare estate and the outbuildings were maintained. Postcards issued after the First World War presented the castle as a former temporary residence of Charles VII and Agnès Sorel.