France. Chantilly Castle. Pearl of the French Renaissance.

Chantilly Castle is located in France. Built by Pierre Chambige for the Duke de Montmorency in the 16th century in the French Renaissance style, this architectural ensemble became one of the pearls of the French Renaissance.

Since Montmorency himself served under seven kings, and his children were brought up together with the crown princes, it is not surprising that so many royal people visited this castle, admiring the local splendor.

This castle is also associated with the love story of Henry IV, who at that time was 54 years old, for fifteen-year-old Charlotte de Monoranci. Wanting to keep up appearances, the king gives the girl in marriage to one of the representatives of the Conde dynasty. However, the obedient groom suddenly becomes a stubborn husband and takes his young wife to Belgium, where they are under the auspices of the King of Spain.

This caused the king's anger to be so strong that he even seriously considers military action. These plans were not destined to come true, since Henry soon died at the hands of the religious fanatic Ravaillac.

Returning after his death to France, the young couple after a while takes possession of the castle of Chantilly. Its heyday is associated with the name of their son, the Prince of Condé. It was he who commissioned the most famous French park designer, Le Notre, to design the green spaces around the castle.

Chantilly's pride is also its fountains, which are considered among the most beautiful in France. No wonder Louis XIV, during the construction of Versailles, took the fountains of Chantilly as a model.

Constable of France Anne de Montmorency.

Being a fan and patron of the arts, Prince Conde often invited famous writers and artists to his castle. Among them were Boileau, Racine, La Fontaine, Madame de Sevigny. Here in Chantilly, the first performance of "Tartuffe" by Molière, who was also a frequent guest of the Prince of Condé, took place.

Chantilly - one of the most beautiful castles of Ile-de-France - stands in majestic solitude, surrounded by a moat, in the middle of a forest thicket. Chantilly is a whole world with park and gardens, great works of art and its own eventful history.

Arriving at the Chantilly castle, you immediately plunge into the atmosphere of the life of the aristocracy of the 18th century. Its beautifully restored rooms feature period furniture, floor-to-ceiling library shelves filled with books, and private rooms that look like they just stepped out.

Inside the building. This is really a real palace - marble stairs, painted plafonds, gilding and stained-glass windows, sculptures, chandeliers, luxurious dishes, beautiful paintings on the walls. Raphael, Van Dyck, Piero di Cosimo, Filippino Lippi, forty miniatures by Jean Fouquet, Poussin, Dutch marine painters, Theodore Rousseau, Ingres, Delacroix...

Coat of arms of the House of Bourbon-Condé on the floor of the Château de Chantilly.

Library.

The famous library of the Prince of Orleans has been preserved in excellent condition, and it contains more than 13,000 rare books and manuscripts, including the psalter of Queen Ingeborg of Denmark, the wife of Philip Augustus, and the famous Book of Hours by the Duke of Berry.

Library.

Library.

Its walls are decorated with paintings illustrating the victories won by the Grand Condé in battles.

Gallery of deeds of Mr. Prince.

Gallery of deeds of Mr. Prince.

Gallery of deeds of Mr. Prince.

Prince's room.

Prince's room. This is a luxurious room, decorated with gilded wood panels, paintings and furniture, most of which, alas, was taken out of here during the years of the revolution. It cannot, however, prevent one from admiring the splendid Riesener chest of drawers, which was commissioned for the bedroom of Louis XVI at Versailles.

Prince's room.

As well as paintings depicting animals, which were painted by Christophe Hue.

Countess's bedroom.

The Countess's bedroom contains Louis XV style chairs, a canopy bed and a baby cradle. Neo-Gothic style is complemented by mahogany marquetry technique. The boudoir is decorated with purple satin, brocade and silver. Here stands a mahogany Grohe piano. The small room connects the dwellings of the Count and Countess with sengeri-style walls depicting monkeys.

This room is located in the chambers for receptions and is of considerable artistic value. It was painted in 1737. The walls are decorated with magnificent painted panels, from which you simply cannot take your eyes off. Above the large fireplaces are mirrors that create a feeling of even more space.

The chairs were brought from Versailles, from the chambers of Marie Antoinette. And one of them, shaped like an anchor, once belonged to the Comte de Toulouse, and was brought from his house in Rambouillet.

The fireplace screen with a monkey, which appeared here only in 1890, is also interesting in this room. This work by master Christophe Huet was acquired by the Duke of Omalsky to decorate this particular room in Chantilly - he considered that the screen with the monkey would fit perfectly into the interior of the Grand Sangerie and turned out to be absolutely right.

Music salon. Candlesticks in the music room of Chantilly Castle.

Music salon.

This room is dedicated to the memory of the Duke of Enghien. Magnificent gilded candlesticks, gilded doors and wall panels, and gilded musical instruments create a sheen of luxury and opulence that permeates the rooms of the castle, and especially the Musical Salon of Chantilly Castle.

Music salon.

Chapel of the hearts of the Condé family.

Let's take a look at the chapel of the palace. It was built relatively recently - in 1882, but exactly on the spot where before the revolution there was an old chapel.

Chapel of the hearts of the Condé family.

The altar is attributed to the master Jean Goujon, and the magnificent stained glass windows date back to the 16th century.

Chapel of the hearts of the Condé family.

Ceiling.

Chapel of the hearts of the Condé family.

In its back, behind the altar, there is an urn in which the hearts of the princes of Condé and Henry II are kept (the bodies of the deceased are buried in a church in Burgundy).

Chapel of the hearts of the Condé family.

During the turbulent revolutionary times, many graves were desecrated, and in order to save the memory of the princes, it was decided to hide their hearts in a church in Chantilly, and then, a century later, they were transferred to a new chapel.

Chapel of the hearts of the Condé family.

This room was originally planned for the placement of paintings, so it has such a non-standard shape - a coffered ceiling, a glass roof, giving a large number of natural light.The uniqueness of the collection of paintings in this room places the Chantilly Art Gallery second only to the Louvre Museum.

Pictures are hung on the burgundy walls: on the left - the Italian school, on the right - the French. The order of the paintings was determined by the duke himself in accordance with his plans. He also bequeathed never to change the location of the paintings and exhibit at least one of them in a place other than in the Chantilly castle. Therefore, you can see all these pictures only here.

Forty kilometers from Paris is this amazing place. Against the backdrop of an old park - masterpieces of baroque architecture in a necklace of ponds, and next to it - the grass path of the hippodrome, which goes to the walls of a magnificent palace. But no, this is not a palace, these are stables - the most grandiose and, perhaps, the most beautiful in the world.

Even today, horses live in them, or rather, they reign: a unique museum is located here, in which art, history and a hymn to a noble animal merge.

Known for its castle and park, Chantilly has long attracted horse riders who come here for the races or to visit the Museum and Exhibition of Horses and Ponies, located in what must be the most beautiful stables in the world with luxurious stables for horses.

It is these stables that distinguish Chantilly from other castles. Henri-Louis Bourbon, who owned the castle at the beginning of the 18th century, ordered the architect Jean Auber to build a grandiose building, in which there should have been enough space for 240 horses, a pack of 300 hounds, all carriages, an arena for training and living quarters for grooms, coachmen and postilions . The main building alone is 186 m long.

Source

Getting to this magnificent place is not at all difficult: 25 minutes by train from Gare du Nord (North Station), to the Chantilly-Gouvieux stop. Getting around is pretty easy too.

Entrance to the territory of the Chantilly castle: a bridge over the moat, a ticket office in a small house and a gate (the gate is not visible in the picture, but believe me - they are there!).



It would seem - March 4! And already the lawn is evenly trimmed green. Although what to say - the climate is different.





I love this cute house


You look at him and it seems that a lovely lady in a powdered wig is about to peek out from behind the curtain:



And again - the bridge over the moat. =) Beauty is beauty, but they preferred not to forget about security measures.




yardCapitenri (Capitainerie): The building on the right is the Capitenri ensemble, all that remains of the castle, which Anne de Montmorency commissioned to build Jean Bulland next to the already existing castle. Now there is a restaurant here.


Kapitenri or Kitchen de Vetel. Unfortunately. This is the only picture available.


Panorama

A small panorama taken from the monument to Anne de Montmorency


View of the bridge in front of the entrance to the Court of Honor:
1. Gate of the Court of Honor

2. View of the bridge from sides of the "house" and Kapitenri:


Entrance to the Court of Honor. There are sculptures in the niches, at the top there is a cartouche with a coat of arms, there is a lot of decor everywhere. Nevertheless, beauty is beauty, and the bars are real.

To the right and left of the gate are two small galleries



Honorary Court. Entrance to the Castle Reception:


View of the Chapel, it is located to the left of the entrance to the Reception Room.


I like this architecture. Thoughtful and harmonious solutions. Not boring and no frills.

Court of Honor, view from the Chapel:



Statue Constable Anne de Montmorency:


Figurines of hunting dogs, funny are:

vita_colorata wrote on March 26th, 2014

The town of Chantilly, like many cities in France, has a history of existence dating back to Roman times. The name of the castle comes from the ancient Roman Cantilius, that was the name of the man who built a villa here during the conquest of Gaul by the Romans. At the end of the 10th century, the lords of Senlis built a castle here, later destroyed during the Jacquerie peasant uprising.
When you approach the castle, you understand that the nature of these places could not but attract and for the castle was chosen a nice place on the water, which in those troubled times was an additional barrier to the enemy. The moat finally turned the castle into a separate island.

The history of the current castle begins with the constable Anne de Montmorency. The Montmorency family has owned these places since 1484.
He received the name Anne in honor of his godmother, Queen Anne of Brittany. The name Anna in the 16th century was both male and female, but the constable began to be called in the male manner of Anna.

The "head groom" of the king made a good career, he became the head of the royal army. After the Italian campaign of 1528, the constable decides to build a new palace instead of the old castle. During the campaigns in Italy, the conquerors were imbued with the new art of the Renaissance, King Francis invited Italian artists to France, Anne de Montmorency instructed the architect Pierre Chambige to build a new castle, and later the art connoisseur Montmorency invites the best masters of his time: Jean Bullan, architect, Bernard Palissy , famous for his creative ceramics, painter Francois Clouet, sculptor, architect, graphic artist Jean Goujon, artist Leonard Limousin. The constable was out of favor with the king for 7 years, and he devoted these years to his castle. Jean Bulland built a second castle nearby, which was called the Small or Capitanerie. During these years, Chantilly enriched himself with many objects of art, furniture, carpets, sculpture and painting.
In front of the castle, in 1894, an equestrian statue of the constable was placed, who looks at his offspring, which has grown and changed over the following centuries.

Anne de Montmorency was again called to the court of Henry II and won the Battle of Saint-Denis on November 10, 1567 between Catholics and Huguenots at the respectable age of 74 for those years, but was mortally wounded.
Further, the castle passes into the hands of the princes of Conde, the younger branch of the Bourbons. Here you can stop, sitting on the fence and admiring the castle, and remember the beauty Charlotte de Montmorency, whose story is worthy of the pen of Dumas.

Charlotte was the granddaughter of the constable, the daughter of his youngest son, you can even catch the resemblance to her grandfather from the portraits. Young, 15-year-old Charlotte became the maid of honor of Queen Marie de Medici and King Henry IV turned her favorable attention to her. Henri the Fourth (the king was cheerful, loved wine to hell ...) fell in love so much that he terminated her engagement with the handsome Bassonier and married him to Prince Condé, in the hope that her husband would not oppose the meetings of the king with Charlotte. But it wasn’t there, Heinrich Conde took his wife to hell, all the way to Brussels, under the protection of the Spanish Archduke-viceroy Albrecht. They tried to steal Charlotte, there was almost a war with the Spaniards, but Heinrich was killed in his own carriage on Feroneri Street, near house 11, the place is marked on the sidewalk, if anyone walks there, they can pay attention.
Conde ended his days in prison anyway, the castle was temporarily requisitioned from the family by King Louis 13th, but Charlotte was the godmother of King Louis 14th and Anna of Austria returned the Chantilly estates. The gift was made the very next day after the news of the military victory at Rocroi over the Spaniards of Charlotte's son Louis II of Bourbon, who went down in history under the name of the Great Condé, despite his small stature of 1.57 centimeters. Conde was then 22 years old and he was married to Richelieu's niece, young, but already a commander, great-grandfather's genes came in handy.

So, since 1643, Chantilly again belongs to the Conde family and the "Great Conde" begins to landscape the surrounding area with the help of the great gardener Le Nôtre. Le Nôtre created a man-made lake at the castle and big park, in which grandiose festivities were held with the participation of the king.
The Prince of Conde not only made the castle a place for his holidays, he became a trendsetter, organizing a literary salon, which quickly gained incredible popularity among the French nobility.
The work, as usual, dragged on for decades, and only the son of the Prince of Conde was able to complete the construction, using the knowledge and experience of the great architect of that era, Jules Hardouin Mansart.
The grandson, the Duke of Bourbon, had only to decorate the inner chambers.
Holidays at the "Great Conde" went down in history.

It has long been a tradition that the king, while hunting or traveling around the country, can stay with any of his vassals. In the castles, chambers were specially made in case of the arrival of the king. These trips did not always end well, the king's visit to Wol-Viscount made Louis think that his quartermaster Fouquet was living too chic. And less than a month later, he ended up in the Bastille, and his court gardener and cook found a new owner. Le Nôtre created a park for Condé and created Versailles park for the king.
Vatel went down in history as a famous organizer of the festivities. The tragic events of the holiday on April 23, 1671 are described in a letter to Madame de Sevigne. Vatel committed suicide with a blow of a sword, seeing that he did not have enough food to feed the nobles who had come. According to rumors, the fish were not brought up in the proper quantity, and at the whim of the screenwriter of fate, these two missing carts with fish drove into the yard just at the moment when Vatel pierced himself.
François Vatel (actually Carl Fritz Vatel) was born in Switzerland in 1631, from the age of 8 he studied with the Parisian confectioner Jean Evelard, and at 22 he was already a chef with Nicolas Fouquet. In 1663 he moved to the castle of Chantilly and became a manager there.
In early April, His Majesty announced that he would honor the Prince with a three-day visit to his Chantilly estate in recognition of his military service. For Conde, this was a chance to rehabilitate himself before Louis XIV, he was in disgrace for 8 years. François Vatel has only 15 days to prepare the menu and organize the whole party. Vatel began to develop the last script for the festival.
Preparations have begun for the reception of the Sun King. Within 15 days, work was underway to prepare the castle, as well as redevelopment of rooms for the reception of the King and his retinue. Construction work went on around the clock. Conde hoped to achieve the final forgiveness of the king, so the planned grandiose celebration for the glory of Louis XIV had to be inimitable and delight the king and all his guests.
The whole story can be seen in the film "Vatel", filmed in the Chantilly castle, and at the same time see the interiors of the castle.
The celebration was attended by over 6,000 guests, in fact, the entire nobility of France. How they managed to accommodate so many guests in the castle is even incomprehensible. Usually, after such festivities, the castles were closed for "drying" and cleaning the territory, since there were no toilets and 6 thousand people could do mischief in the park and right in the castle in three days, then it was in the order of things, so that the guard of servants then brought for a long time the apartments of the hospitable host were in order.
Vatel was supposed to provide all this horde with four meals and additionally "colacions" - snacks with cold appetizers during balls. What is now called the word buffet. Moreover, tables served in nature were decorated so that they fit into the landscape.
Any modern chef would shoot himself from the scale of the task even before the holiday, and Vatel also organized fireworks and entertainment in parallel. Unfortunately, he did not leave behind cookbooks, like many cooks, but later they dedicated their dishes to him, calling his name either sauce or consommé, and Chantilly whipped cream is considered to be his invention.

The castle belonged to the princes of Condé for many years. In 1782, the next Prince of Condé received the Count and Countess of the North in Chantilly. Under such a pseudonym, the future Russian Emperor Pavel the First and his wife traveled. And later he repaid the hospitality by hosting Chantilly's hosts for the time being, together with the regiment, for the duration of the revolution.
Chantilly at the end of the 18th century can be seen on the gouache of the artist Jean-Baptiste Lallemand, which is kept in the castle.

The picture shows the Great Castle as it existed before it was destroyed during the revolution. Such as it was erected by Montmorency in 1528-31.
After the last Prince of Conde in 1830, the Duke of Omal became the heir, who built the Grand Castle anew.
The New Castle (Château d'Angien) is a neo-Renaissance building from 1876-80, loosely reproducing the architectural forms of the Grand Castle. The New Castle was designed by Honoré Daumier; his style can be defined as bozar.

Now Chantilly Castle is an ensemble of buildings from different centuries. On the left is the old Kapitaneriya, which has survived in spite of everything.

The rest of the castle, inspired by Renaissance castles, is more decorative. It is decorated with an abundance of balustrades and sculptures. The composition is reminiscent of old hotels of the 16th and 17th centuries, when a wall with a gate closes the castle itself, which was not superfluous in those days. In the 18th century, it had already lost its defensive significance and became a decorative element of the castle's facade.

There is a bronze sculpture of dogs in front of the entrance.

Metal fences now also decorate more than protect from the enemy.

Although the castle is separated by water, a wide bridge provides entry for everyone.

To the left of the entrance is a copy of the statue of a slave by Michelangelo.

Let's go to the cozy courtyard of the castle.

Perhaps it is here that you can fully experience what French elegance is, it is no coincidence that President Nixon exclaimed during a visit to the castle in 1968: "Why was I taken to Versailles seven times and never here?"
We came just in time for the opening of the Condé Museum and we can go in and get acquainted with the beautiful collection of the castle and its interiors.
More on this later.

Address: France, 49 km from Paris
Coordinates: 49°11"37.9"N 2°29"07.7"E

Content:

Short description

The architect and at the same time the chief gardener of the Duke of Conde Le Nôtre, of course, made a huge contribution to the arrangement of the Chantilly park area. However, after his death and the death of the duke, the palace and the territory adjacent to it were constantly upset and ennobled. In Chantilly, even a huge hippodrome and a large stable appeared. As you know, the French have always followed fashion since time immemorial: during the reign of Marie Antoinette, another small garden was planted in Chantilly. Despite its size, it always struck with its uniqueness: still, it was a real garden from the Celestial Empire with small houses and water channels. By the way, this garden was not the last in the Chantilly palace and park complex: a little later, a beautiful English-style garden with a magnificent lake was laid out, where proud swans swam. In this park, the architects created an island of love and even erected a temple of Venus, which, as you know, was "responsible" for this high feeling.

Main staircase

Chantilly - a new history and a priceless collection

Without exception, all representatives of the Montmorency family and the Bourbon-Conde dynasty were connoisseurs of the beautiful world. Each owner of a castle or palace (as you like) contributed to its architecture and collection. Thanks to influential people who lived from the 16th century to the French Revolution, a huge collection was assembled, which included paintings, books, household items made of precious metal, porcelain and much more. The Dukes of Conde have always patronized talented writers, painters and sculptors who left their mark on their residence of Chantilly. Before the revolution, Racine himself, La Fontaine and other equally famous personalities often visited the owners of the castle.

Speaking about the collection of the Chantilly castle, one should definitely highlight the Duke of Omal, who owned the castle for a certain period of time and did not skimp on acquiring masterpieces of painting and other items that cannot be valued in monetary terms. Alas, the French Revolution did not bypass the Chantilly palace and park complex: many items of the collection were looted, some parts of the buildings were damaged, and the interior decoration was also damaged. Fortunately, the excesses of the crowd were stopped, and the Chantilly castle was one of the first buildings in France where reconstruction began. By the end of the 19th century, almost all the exhibits from the legendary collection were returned to the walls of the palace and the Castle d'Angien was rebuilt, resembling the Grand Castle, which was almost completely destroyed during the revolution.

Study at Chantilly Castle

Chantilly Castle - tourist guide

You can get to the beautiful palace and park complex, whose collection of paintings, books and precious household items is almost in no way inferior to that of Versailles, from Paris by car or train. A trip in a comfortable carriage will take the tourist no more than 25 minutes, but by car it will take a little longer to get to Chantilly, this is due to numerous traffic jams on the N16 highway.

Many tourist brochures say that a tour of Chantilly will take the traveler no more than 3-4 hours. However, this information is far from the truth, in order to admire the luxurious and unique gardens, examine the architecture of the buildings included in the palace and park complex, and get acquainted with the collection of the Montmorency family and the Bourbon-Conde dynasty, it will take more than one day. One has only to imagine that the museum houses more than 1,000 paintings by the most famous artists and a huge number of priceless books, including the very first printed edition on our planet - the Gutenberg Bible. By the way, according to official information, exactly 30,000 old books are stored in the collection of the Chantilly castle.

Library at Chantilly Castle

Naturally, not all of them are available for viewing, many of them are in a special storage with a certain microclimate, because some of the books are over 400 years old. In addition to the collection of paintings and books, the museum houses more than 2,000 graphic works, each of which has its own interesting story. A tourist who comes to Chantilly should definitely see the drawings called "illustrations for the hour book of the Duke of Beria". These illustrations were created at the beginning of the 15th (!) century.

About the castle

On the territory of eight thousand hectares stands the Chantilly castle, surrounded by the massif of the Three Forests. Just an hour from Paris, there is a medieval monument, and the castle's collection of paintings and old books is second only to the Louvre.

Chantilly Castle Museum

More three thousand paintings, two thousand five hundred engravings, one and a half thousand manuscripts and thirty thousand folios are open for viewing.

The library, built in 1876-1877 by the architect Honore Dome, joined the general stream of the reconstruction of the castle. The two-story metal structure with an upper gallery is typical of libraries from the second half of the 19th century. The iron shelves are covered in leather, and their arrangement protects the books from sunlight. Here everything is run by functionality, but expensive materials bring an element of luxury. These are books printed before 1501, the library of the Duke of Bourbon, 200 medieval manuscripts and the Book of Hours by the Duke of Berry.

The spacious room with bevelled corners is illuminated through the glass roof. The artworks are on display on the Pompey Red rails in no chronological order. Paintings by Italian painters hang on the left wall, while the right wall is devoted to paintings by the French school. Neoclassicism, romanticism, orientalism greets guests from the canvases in the Picture Gallery of the castle.

The residential gallery (Galeries du Logis) reveals the history of the Chateau de Chantilly, telling about construction and horse racing. The Clouet Hall houses portraits of royalty from the 16th century. There are more than three hundred of them, not counting the sketches on display. The Caroline Room transports art lovers to 18th-century portraiture, while the Orléans Salon houses a collection of magnificent Chinese blue-painted porcelain produced on the castle grounds. The Isabella Room introduces the works of various schools of painting, from romanticism to academism, and in the du Giotto room there are paintings by Italian primitivists. The Minerva Room introduces portraits of the Orléans family and the development of portraiture in France at the end of the 17th century and the middle of the 18th century. The Count's Gallery - for men only and their entertainment to the sounds of the orchestra on the podium and surrounded by hunting tapestries. The Gallery of Psyche is 44 stained glass windows telling about her romantic fate, the Hall of Saints (Santuario) shows paintings by Raphael, inspired by antiquity.

Chantilly castle apartments

The ground floor of a small wing of the castle is dedicated to the Renaissance.

The vestibule and guardroom immerse guests in the atmosphere of the 19th century. They connect two estates that were previously separated by a moat. The walls in the prince's chambers are lined with wood, and the chest of drawers stands out with gilding and marquetry technique. The corner room is decorated with images of hunting, made on a white background with gilding. Painted monkeys come to life on the walls of the Singerie boudoir. The Prince's Battle Gallery reproduces military operations in eleven scenes. The music salon stores souvenirs and antique furniture.

You can go to the small apartments of the Count and Countess Omal through Escalier d "Honneur or the" Staircase of Honor ". Its steps go down into a round hole in the floor, forming a balcony with wrought iron railings. The apartment includes 9 rooms. Salon de Guise is designed to relax among family portraits, hung on white walls with gilded ornaments.The history of the castle was born here.The Countess's bedroom contains Louis XV style chairs, a four-poster bed and a baby cradle.The Neo-Gothic style is complemented by mahogany marquetry.The boudoir is decorated with purple satin, brocade and silver.Here stands mahogany Grohe piano The little room connects the Count and Countess's dwellings with sengeri-style walls depicting monkeys The bathroom has always had hot and cold running water and has been heated by gas since 1886. The Count's bedroom evokes thoughts of military discipline, although the walls are hung with family portraits, and in the center stands a mahogany table - a gift from King Louis Phillip. Lon de Conde plunges into the Renaissance with numerous portraits, upholstered furniture and a crystal chandelier. The marble room invites you to sit by the fireplace and enjoy the grandeur of the 16th century.

The chapel of Chantilly Castle is dedicated to Saint Louis and his statue defines the architecture of the façade. Inside is an altarpiece by the sculptor Jean Houdon. The chapel is surrounded by marquetry-style panels, and light enters the altar through stained-glass windows.

Gardens and parks of Chantilly castle

The French park was built at the end of the 17th century by Andre Le Nôtre. He also designed Versailles. The main sculpture of the park is the statue of the constable of France, Anne de Montmorency. From it comes a majestic panorama of the gardens and the canal.

The English garden, destroyed by the French Revolution, was restored in 1818 to give the romance of the Temple of Venus, the trellis gazebo and statue of Eros on Love Island (L'ile d'amour), the fountain and its water cascades inhabited by swans.

On the territory of the park, Le Hameau is hiding in the greenery - this is a village built in a peasant style. But the modesty of its name is exaggerated. A thatched house, a magnificent dining room and optical illusions (trompe l "oeil) create unique interiors.

The Tennis House (Jeu de Paume) has sandstone walls and a slate roof hidden by treetops. It is decorated with a wrought-iron balcony, which the guests went out to after the game. However, later the house became a museum, containing paintings that did not find a place in the castle museum.

Next to the forest is a long building for the guests of the castle. Famous historians, architects and members of the Academy of Sciences stayed at Chateau d "Enghien.

History of Chantilly Castle

From 1386 to 1897, the lands of Chantilly Castle fell into the possession of different offshoots of the same family, but were never sold. In the 14th-15th centuries, the Orgemont family lived here along with representatives of the noble family of Montmorance. It was they who contributed to the development of the castle during the reign of the constable of France, Anne de Montmorency. A friend of Kings Francois I and Henry II authorized Jean Bulan to build the Petit Chantilly. Later, upon the arrival of the Bourbon Conde family (17-18 centuries) and cousins ​​of the kings of France, the famous Le Nôtre was involved in the construction, and then Henry de Orleans, Duke of Omalsky, son of the King of France, Louis Philippe, settled in the castle.

Seven towers and a ditch of the moat remained from the medieval fortress of Orgemont, when the fortress passed into the hands of the Montmarency family. He, taking advantage of the favor of the kings, built the Kapitenri ensemble and the Small Chantilly - their devastation touched the least.

He also landscaped the terrace where the equestrian statue stands today, and built seven chapels, three of which survive to this day. Montmarency donated the stained-glass windows "Grisaille", depicting the romance of Psyche and Cupid, to the castle. His grandson Henry II Montmarency (1595 - 1632) built the "House of Sylvia", but was beheaded in Toulouse, and the castle was confiscated by Louis XIII.

In 1643, Henry II's sister Montmarency, wife of Henry II de Bourbon Condé, took over the castle. Louis II de Bourbon Condé (1621-1686) ordered the creation of the Grand Canal (1671-1673) and the courtyard. Condé made the Château de Chantilly the seat of a literary circle, and his son rebuilt the attic of the Greater Chantilly with the help of the architect Jean Aubert. Louis Henry, Prince de Bourbon Conde and Prime Minister Louis XV, commissioned this master to build the "Great Stables" (Grandes Ecuries) - architectural masterpiece 18th century, restore the apartments of the Small Castle and build a porcelain factory. He hired the painters Jean-Baptiste Oudry, Philippe Deporte, Cristobal Huet to decorate the interior of the castle.

His son Louis José, Prince de Condé (1736 - 1818) built the Jeux de Paume (tennis court) in 1756 and the English Garden. It included Chinese gardens, Le Hameau peasant houses and a villa, but emigrated in 1792.

During the revolution, the treasures of the castle were taken to the Louvre in Paris, and Chantilly was turned into a prison. In 1799 the buildings were destroyed, and only after 1815 some paintings and books from the Louvre were returned to Prince Louis Joseph. On his return to France, he asked the architect Victor Dubois to design an English garden in 1817 and a moat separating the two castle buildings.

The Duke of Omalsky inherited the Château de Chantilly from his great uncle, the Prince de Condé, when he was eight years old in 1830. He got the Great Castle, demolished by the winds of the French Revolution and restored to give shelter to paintings, books and other objects of art. Henry of Orleans or Duke of Omalsky was the fifth son of King Louis Philippe. He decorated his own apartments and created a wooden gallery leading to them.

In 1884, the Duke of Omalsky, having no heirs, bequeathed the castle to the Institutes of France group of five academies, and so the Condé Museum was born. magnificent cultural heritage includes not only a castle and a museum, but also a hippodrome and a park with attractions.

Information for tourists

Chantilly Castle, the Condé Museum and the gardens can be visited every day of the week except Tuesday from 10 am to 6 pm.
The cost of visiting the castle, museum, park, stables and festive procession of horses:
for adults - €20;
for children - €8;

The cost of visiting the castle, museum, park, stables and a subscription to three festive performances of horses:
for adults - €29.5;
for children - €16.5;

The cost of visiting the castle, museum, park:
for adults - €13;

The cost of visiting the museum, park:
for adults - €6
for children under 18 accompanied by adults - free of charge

The cost of visiting the stables and the festive procession of horses:
for adults - €11
for children - €8

Boat trips on the Grand Canal run from 11 am to 6 pm. The boat can accommodate no more than four people, and for an hour of riding you will have to pay €12.

The park closes at 8 o'clock, and from 11 am to 6 pm you can go around it on a small train. The walk lasts 40 minutes and costs:
for adults - €6
for children - €3

The library is open from 9:15 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. The cost of visiting it is included in the price of a tour of the castle.