Castle of Saint-Cloud

History

In spite of the historical and architectural importance considerable of the castle of Saint-Cloud, many remote regions continue to darken its old story.

The castle of Gondi (16th century)

The Gondi are a family of financial florentins arrived to France in 1543 following Catherine de Médicis. In the years 1570 - undoubtedly in 1577 - this one offers to Jerome de Gondi a house with Saint-Cloud called “hotel of Aulnay”. Around this house, Jerome de Gondi makes build a castle of plan in L bordering a terrace. The principal frontage looks at the south and the wing is completed by a house from where one embraces a splendid sight on the Seine.

It is in the castle of Jerome de Gondi that, on August 1st 1589, Henri III, which there settled to lead the head office of Paris, held by the Members of a league, is assassinated by the monk Jacques Clément. Henri IV is recognized there king.

After the death of Jerome de Gondi in 1604, the castle was sold in 1618 by his/her son Jean-Baptiste II of Gondi with Jean de Bueil, count de Sancerre. But this last dies a little later in 1625, and Jean-François de Gondi, archbishop of Paris, repurchases the field and made there make embellishments, in particular by Thomas Francine, which works in the gardens.

With died of Jean-François de Gondi in 1654, Philippe-Emmanuel de Gondi became owner about it, then his nephew Henri de Gondi, duke of Retz, which sold the property in 1655 with Barthélemy Hervart, financier of German origin, intendant then superintendent of Finances. This one increases the park up to 12 hectares and made do in Saint-Cloud considerable work which one is unaware of about all. One knows only that it made build in the park a large cascade, often confused with that which was preserved, which dates from the later time.

The castle of Mister (1658 - 1701)

October 8th 1658, Hervart organized in Saint-Cloud a sumptuous festival in the honor of the young person Louis XIV, Mister, duke of Orleans, brother of the king, their mother Anne of Austria and cardinal Mazarin. A few days later, on October 25th 1658, Mister buys the field of Saint-Cloud for 240.000 books. One thinks that this sale was forced by Mazarin, which contributed thus to the policy of constitution of a network of royal castles in the Parisian West while making return throat to one treating enriched with excess, too happy to avoid thus the fate of Nicolas Fouquet.

Mister makes build in Saint-Cloud since his acquisition until his death in 1701. Work is directed by its architect, Antoine Pautre, until the death of this one in 1679, then by its second, Jean Girard, master mason rather than architect, and perhaps Thomas Gobert. Jules Hardouin-Mansart intervenes at the end of the century. The interior decoration is entrusted to the painters Jean Nocret and Pierre Mignard. The garden is redrawn by André Ours and the park is increased considerably, between 1659 and 1695, almost until the current influence. The amount of the purchases thus carried out reached 156.000 books.

It is with the castle of Saint-Cloud that dies in 1670 the first woman of Sir, Henriette of England, whose Bossuet pronounced the very famous funeral oration (“ Madam dies, Madam died. ”).

In October 1678, of splendid festivals are given there during five days in the honor of Louis XIV, which can thus discover the sumptuousness of the castle built by his/her brother.

Saint-Cloud at the 18th century

October 24th 1784, the castle of Saint-Cloud is acquired by Louis XVI for the queen Marie-Antoinette. This one was convinced that the air of Saint-Cloud would be good for his children. Little before its death, the duke of Orleans, Louis-Philippe “the Large”, which does not go any more to Saint-Cloud since his marriage morganatic with Madam de Montesson, is constrained to yield the field to the king for 6 million books.

Marie-Antoinette makes transform the castle into 1787 - 1788 by her appointed architect, Richard Mique. In 1790, Saint-Cloud is the framework of a famous interview between Marie-Antoinette and Mirabeau.

It is in the orangery of the castle, become quite national, that the Coup d'etat of the 18 brumaire (November 10th 1799) during was held which the Directoire was removed with the profit of the Consulat.

Saint-Cloud at the 19th century

The May 18th 1804, the proclamation of Napoleon i as emperor of the French was held in Saint-Cloud. Napoleon made his preferred residence of it.

December 1st 1852, it is in Saint-Cloud, in the gallery of Apollo, that Napoleon III, republishing the gesture of his/her uncle, is made invest by the large body of the State of imperial dignity. Each year, in spring and the autumn, Napoleon III and Eugenie establish their court with Saint-Cloud. It is of Saint-Cloud, where he had declared the war with the Prussia, whom, on July 28th 1870, Napoleon III leaves for the army.

Bombarded and set fire to during the seat of Paris on October 13rd 1870, its ruins were shaven in 1891.

Structure

The castle of Gondi

At the 17th century, the house of Jean-François de Gondi is a heteroclite juxtaposition of houses and body of buildings without search for symmetry. It opens in the east on a court, bordered by a gallery with arcades. The beautiful frontage looks at the south and opens on a terrace decorated with floors of embroideries. It decorates carved portraits of the four sovereigns who followed one another since 1560 (Charles IX, Henri III, Henri IV and Louis XIII). At its end a high house on four levels rises dominating the Seine. The property is surrounded by 12 arpents (5 hectares) of ground.

This castle was engraved by Israel Silvestre and Adam Pérelle. According to contemporary testimonys (but that hardly appears on engravings), it with Italian - i.e. was covered with a flat roof - and the frontages were painted by it with fresco. The gardens, which went down in terraces to the Seine, were equipped with all attractions then to the mode in Italy: cascades, caves, fountains, etc remains about It the large jet, in the bottom of the park.

The castle of Mister

The castle built by Mister affects the shape of U open towards the east, vis-a-vis the Seine. The castle of Gondi is integrated in the left wing. On the back, a long orangery forms wing in the prolongation of the right wing on court. The avenue of entry, bordered by the commun runs and the dependences (preserved), share in skew in direction of the bridge. Hardouin-Mansart builds in the left wing a large staircase in the style of the staircase of the Ambassadors of Versailles (destroyed at the end of the 18th century).

The interior is announced in particular by the decoration carried out in 1660 by Jean Nocret in the apartment of the left wing (apartment of Madam) and by the 45 meters gallery of Apollo, long, located in the right wing, entirely decorated by Pierre Mignard (1677 - 1680): the magnificence of this unit will be worth with the painter to supplant in Versailles his rival Charles Le Brun. The orangery, as for it, is decorated with frescos by Jean Rousseau.

Drawn by Andre Ours, the park of Saint-Cloud affects the usual drawing of the famous landscape designer, ordered according to two perpendicular axes of which one is parallel to the the Seine. The way in which Ours benefitted from a broken relief and of a complex situation - the castle being established with semi-hill and not on the height - is extremely remarkable, just like the sophistication of the plan. The Large Cascade, built in 1664 - 1665 by Antoine Pautre and which was extremely fortunately preserved, is one of the most notable elements. The basin and the channel of bottom were added by Hardouin-Mansart in 1698 - 1698.

Transformations of XVIIIe and XIXe centuries

The last important work campaign is that carried out by Richard Mique for Marie-Antoinette in 1787 - 1788. It widens the main building and the adjacent half of the left wing and remade the frontages side garden of these parts. It makes demolish the staircase built by Hardouin-Mansart and built a new staircase hones some to reach the apartments of parade.

On the other hand, the later occupants of Saint-Cloud -, Louis XVIII, Charles X, and Napoleon III - make there carry out only limited installations, primarily of work of interior decoration.

fact of transforming into throne room, the Venus living room, decorated by Lemoyne and Nocret. Napoleon III makes demolish the orangery in 1862. The empress makes transform into a living room of Style Louis XVI the old room of Henriette of England.

Saint-Cloud today

The national field of Saint-Cloud is today affected with the ministry for the culture and given in management to the Center of the national monuments. It is opened to the public and it is even possible to circulate there in the car, with the help of the payment of a tax.

Internal bonds

Park of Saint-Cloud
Goods of the house of Orleans
House of Breteuil: old trianon of the castle of Saint-Cloud
Castle of Meudon
not to confuse the Castle of Saint-Cloud and the Castle of That Saint-Cloud.

External bonds

the official site of the national field of Saint-Cloud
a very complete site on the history of the castle of Saint-Cloud
the castle of Saint-Cloud under Napoleon III

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