Château de Courcelles-lès-Semur, Castle in Courcelles-lès-Semur (Côte-d'Or)

The château de Courcelles-lès-Semur is a medieval castle rebuilt in the 18th century on 13th-century foundations. Its buildings are grouped around a square tower open to the south, facing the village, and enclosed by a moat partly filled with water. The main two-storey logis closes the north side of the courtyard, and the east wing has a square tower with a hipped roof and a latrine tower.

A maison forte is first mentioned in 1317, in letters concerning the marriage of Guillotte, daughter of Jean, lord of Courcelles. In April 1333 the Duke of Burgundy exchanged the castle and Courcelles for the castle of Authumes, and in 1374 gave Courcelles and Montigny-Saint-Barthélemy to Guy and Guillaume de la Trémoille. In 1468 it was described as a seigneurial castle with more than thirty rooms with fireplaces, surrounded by water-filled moats. Rebuilt in the 18th century on 13th-century foundations, it was later converted into a farm; the castle, ground and moats were inscribed as monuments historiques on 13 October 1999.

The castle was long a seigneurial residence: in 1468 it was described as having more than thirty rooms with fireplaces. In 1586 Jean, viscount of Tavannes, was arrested in one of his houses at Courcelles, near Semur-en-Auxois. In 1961 Bernard Borderie filmed part of Les Trois Mousquetaires here, with Mylène Demongeot and Georges Descrières.

The castle stands west of the village on the edge of a terrace above the RD 980, so it is reached on foot from the village side. The buildings are grouped around a square tower open to the south, facing the village, and the moat is only partly in water. Parts of the enceinte are in poor condition, with walled-up windows, so keep to the exterior and the courtyard.

In 1961 Bernard Borderie filmed part of his film Les Trois Mousquetaires here, with Mylène Demongeot and Georges Descrières. Until 1794 a fourth square tower stood at the north-east corner of the platform; only three towers or tower bases remain in the moats. The castle, its ground and moats were listed as monuments historiques on 13 October 1999.