Château de la Paluelle, Historical castle in Saint-James, France

Château de la Paluelle is a 15th- and 17th-century manor in Saint-James, Normandy, overlooking the Beuvron valley. Its oldest part, the Petit château or Le Manoir, has a round tower with arrow slits and two machicolations, from the Louis XI era. The central block, slightly projecting, has three wide windows on three levels and three tall dormers with rounded pediments. It is flanked by two unequal pavilions with mansard roofs added after 1650. The front courtyard is enclosed by a granite balustrade with pilasters called "abbot's calves".

The original manor, built in the 14th century as Manor of Granges, came into the possession of the La Paluelle family in 1530 through marriage to Jeanne de Bézier. The transformation in Louis XIII style shaped the building's appearance in the centuries that followed.

The château takes its name from the La Paluelle family, who acquired the estate around 1530 through a dowry and kept it for centuries. In 1638 royal letters patent raised Jean de La Paluelle's lands to a barony. The 17th-century chapel was destroyed during the French Revolution; only its foundation wall remains.

The château is a private property closed to visitors, so the courtyard, terraces and park can only be seen from outside. The facades and roofs of the château and its outbuildings, the terraced main courtyard and the park were listed as monuments historiques by decree of 30 January 1967. The grounds host an annual show jumping competition, the occasion when the estate is busiest.

The château's 17th-century chapel was destroyed during the French Revolution; only its foundation wall survives on the grounds. The estate also keeps a fully preserved and functional 17th-century kitchen. The front courtyard is enclosed by a granite balustrade with pilasters locally called "abbot's calves".