Castle of Isle-Adam

The castle of Isle-Adam was with Isle-Adam (Val-d'Oise) on the island of the Priory. Rebuilt on several occasions, it belonged to the famous ones and powerful families: Adam, Villiers, Montmorency, the Cop and finally Conti, of which it constituted, during seven generations, the principal field apart from Paris. It was entirely destroyed at the beginning of the 19th century.

History

To stop the invasion Norman, the king of France made build castle-forts, such that which was built in 825 on longest of the two islands of the Oise to the current site of the city of Isle-Adam, close to the village of Nogent and which is mentioned on an act of 1069 as located near a priory.

This castle was entrusted to the Lord Adam . The châtellenie gradually took to the name of Isle-Adam and the island itself took this name. By extension, the city which was dévoppée between the island and Nogent preserved the name of Isle-Adam. With the the Middle Ages, the seigniory includes/understands the fields of Isle-Adam, Parmain and Valmondois. The castle is rebuilt on several occasions.

The castle of Isle-Adam before Conti

It belongs to Adam of Isle initially, which sells it in 1360 to Pierre Villiers, large Master of the hotel of the King. This one is the great-grandfather of Philippe Villiers of Isle-Adam (1464 - 1534), large Master of the Ordre of Malta in 1521. Antoine Villiers of Isle-Adam, heir to the field, marries in first weddings Marguerite de Montmorency.

By this marriage, Isle-Adam will enter the powerful family of Montmorency. In September 1527, the son of Antoine Villiers of Isle-Adam, Charles, who repurchased the rights of his brothers and sisters to avoid any parcelling out of the field, gives this one, with reserve of usufruct, with the constable Anne de Montmorency (1492-1567). This one made rebuild the castle and the communal mill located on the bridge.

In revolt against the royal authority, Henri II of Montmorency is carried out with Toulouse in 1632. Its goods are confiscated by Louis XIII which restores of it the major part with his/her sisters. Charlotte de Montmorency, woman of Henri II of Bourbon-Cop, receives the field of Isle-Adam who passes thus to the Maison of Cop, connects junior by the Maison of Bourbon.

Isle-Adam at the time of Conti (1656-1792)

With died of Henri II of Bourbon-Cop in 1651, its goods are divided between his/her three children: Louis II of Bourbon-Cop, Armand of Bourbon-Conti and Anne Genevieve de Bourbon-Cop, duchess of Longueville. It is Armand of Bourbon-Conti, first Prince de Conti, which receives the field of Isle-Adam, who will remain until the French revolution in this branch of the house of Bourbon. Armand of Bourbon-Conti, named governor of Languedoc in 1660, remains little with Isle-Adam. After its death, which has occurred in 1666, its widow, the princess Anne Marie Martinozzi, spends there more time. In the night from June 30th to July 1st 1669, the castle is seriously damaged by a fire. Work of restoration starts quickly and is completed in 1671.

Its second wire, François Louis of Bourbon-Conti, known as “Large Conti”, is interested on the other hand of close with Isle-Adam. In 1707, by exchange with Jean-François de Chamillart, bishop of Senlis and prior of Saint-Godegrand, it manages to acquire the totality of the island of the Priory. It makes restore the castle at the same time, making finish the frontages and replace the old woman tower of the old feudal manor by a house which is used as caretaker's lodge. In 1746, Louis François of Bourbon-Conti increases the field by buying to the marquis de Verderonne the Château of Stors.

Destruction of the castle

Confiscated like national goods under the Revolution, the castle and its dependences are allocated in 1798 to an S Heyer, to which the heirs yield them to one named Brousse. This last makes carry out the demolition of the unit. This one is completed in 1813. There remain nothing any more the field of Conti. May 12th 1821, Mrs. Papon, widow of Mr. Christophe Ducamp, buys the grounds of Parmain like all the island of the Priory and of many grounds in Isle-Adam. It initially makes build a beautiful residence with Parmain (1828), but this property is damaged in 1846 by the arrival of the railroad. Mrs. Papon thus undertakes, in 1857, construction in the island of the Priory of a small brick castle and stone of style Louis XIII, with the site of the old castle of Conti.

This castle then passes to Mr. Amédée Pain, then with his/her son, Henri Pain, diplomat and type-setter. The property is set fire to by the Prussians during the war of 1870. One of the two houses of the caretaker's lodge of the old castle of Conti disappears on this occasion. The castle is renconstruit and is used as hotel, of restaurant, convalescent home before being left with the abandonment. It is bought in 1985 by a grouping of development companies of oil products which install its offices there then, in 2005, by the municipality of Isle-Adam.

Site

With three miles of Pontoise and six miles of Chantilly, the castle of Isle-Adam was built at the northern end of the island of the Priory, between the hamlet of Parmain, on Right Bank of Oise, and the village of Isle-Adam, on left bank. A bridge connected the island of the Priory to Parmain and another in the island of the Mob.

The site presented an obvious strategic interest, making it possible the Middle Ages to control the passage on Oise. Moreover, the abundance of water was an asset for the creation of gardens. On the other hand, the exiguity of the island created a major constraint for the architects. Moreover, the irregularity of the course of Oise and the nature of the ground were conjugaient to create serious problems of stability, infiltrations and of sap.

Structure

The official report established at the time of the fire of 1669 indicates that the castle was then a construction out of brick and stone of three levels by of which one of roofs, including/understanding an in-depth, framed simple central body of two houses and a building of commun runs, the principal frontage being preceded by a main courtyard.

The rebuilding of 1671 does not modify the structure of the building. The principal body comprises 8 spans and each house 3, each one of these three parts being covered of an independent roof. The central body is surmounted by a pediment bored of a oculus and decorated sculptures by Martin Desjardins.

In 1709, the work carried out by Large Conti brings only little of modifications to the general aspect of the castle, out the addition of balconies to the windows of the first stage, of a large balcony to the ground floor and partitions. The castle thus takes the aspect represented on the table of Michel Barthélemy Olivier Fête given by Prince Louis François de Conti in the honor of Charles Guillaume Ferdinand, prince hereditary of Brunswick-Lunebourg in 1766: The stag taken in water in front of the castle of Isle-Adam (Castle of Versailles).

Work of decoration of which one knows nothing is carried out between 1723 and 1725 for Louis Armand II of Bourbon-Conti. New installations are carried out under the direction of the architect Nicolas Simonnet between 1734 and 1736. Others are directed by Pierre Telling of Ivry between 1742 and 1744. Named architect of the Prince de Conti in 1737, this last works especially on the gardens of Isle-Adam, whose enlarging and transformation are carried out between 1737 and 1742.

In 1747, Jean Damun, architect of the Menu-Pleasures of the Prince de Conti , built a theater on the island of the Mob. In 1771, it is charged to increase this room and to arrange a ballroom.

In 1757 - 1758, the architect Jean-Baptiste Courtonne directs a relatively important work campaign, which aims modernizing the aspect of the castle and at making it more pleasant: creation, along the frontage on court, of a Colonnade of Ionic order, preceded by a Perron and surmounted by a Balustrade, creation of kitchens and offices in basement.

Between 1777 and 1783, Louis François Joseph of Bourbon-Conti, which inherited a castle in fort bad condition, because of subsidences of foundations under the effect of water but also of the lack of maintenance, the fact of entirely rebuilding by the architect Jean-Baptiste André. This one replaces the third stage under roofs by a Attique, reinforces the base by creating a terrace in the place of the balcony of the ground floor so as to consolidate the castle all while making it more harmonious, and increases the use of the sculpture and ornaments of frontage such as triangular pediments or in arc segmentary for the windows of the noble stage on the main courtyard. In addition, it builds the vast ones and splendid stables for 200 horses on left bank of Oise. Lastly, it rebuilds the bridge of the Cross which connects the islands of the Priory and the Mob.

References

Internal bonds

External bonds

friends of Isle-Adam

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