Château du Coudray-Montpensier, Medieval castle in Seuilly, France

Château du Coudray-Montpensier is a medieval fortification in Seuilly with three robust defensive towers and thick stone walls overlooking the countryside. The property spans multiple levels with gardens and opens onto the vineyards of the Loire Valley.

The fortification was built in the 14th century to control this strategic region of the Loire Valley. It received notable visitors in 1429, including Joan of Arc, shortly before her meeting with King Charles VII.

The name Montpensier does not refer to the Bourbon-Montpensier family, who were lords of Champigny, but to the medieval Monpancier family and its lands near Vézières in northern Poitou. The Coudray passed to the Bourbons-Roussillon, and Louis, Bâtard de Bourbon, became seigneur after buying Montpensier from Jacques de Bournan in the 1470s.

The castle has been closed to the public since 2016, so it cannot be visited inside; the building stands between fields and vineyards along the road from Chinon to Seuilly. It is partly listed as a monument historique under the decrees of 17 February 1995 and 21 January 1999. The moat is now dry and the drawbridge gives access to the courtyard.

The name Montpensier does not refer to the Bourbon-Montpensier family: the Bourbons-Roussillon were lords here, and the name alludes to the medieval Monpancier family and its holdings, such as Vézières in northern Poitou. The castle was bought in 2005 by Christian Feray, who set out to make it a noble house again; it has been closed to the public since 2016.