Château de Sceaux, France

Château de Sceaux

image: http://islandgirl4ever2.blogspot.com

 

The Château de Sceaux is situated not far from Paris in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine. It is very popular among the locals as a place to escape from the crowds, to relax, have a stroll or a picnic. It’s only 10km away from the city of Paris.

Château de Sceaux, cascades

Château de Sceaux, the park

image source: janettravels

The present Château was in the beginning built as a mansion for the family of Potier des Gesvres in the 15^th century. After that it was sold to Jean Baptiste Colbert, the King Louis XIV’s minister of finance, in 1670. He used the services of some the royal architects and craftsmen, such as Claude and Charles Perrault and Antoine Lepautre, in order to turn the building into a château that suits him.

Château de Sceaux, cascades

Château de Sceaux, cascades

image source:janettravels



In 1683 his son Jean Baptiste Colbert, Marquis de Seigneley, who was also Minister of the Navy inherited Sceaux. He excavated the terraces and added some statues. After that Andre le Notre / who also designed the gardens of Château de Versailles/ designed the main axis and the other two secondary axis and all the descending series of terraces that flow down and fill the octagonal basin.

Château de Sceaux, the park

Château de Sceaux, the cascades

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The Orangerie was built by the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart and inaugurated by the King at a fete in 1685. Later in 1699, the château de Sceaux was sold to Louis’s illegitimate son, the Duc du Maine. It was however his wife, Anne, the dutchess du Maine that turned it into a salon where she hosted many fetes and receptions with famous musicians. The salon at Sceaux was favourite place for the young Voltaire. She has also the pavilion of the Menagerie built. Only the foundations had left, however.

Château de Sceaux

image: http://islandgirl4ever2.blogspot.com


Later, during the French Revolution Château de Sceaux was confiscated and many objects were sold. M. Lecomte, merchant of Saint-Malo purchased the place. He demolished the original château and can you imagine – crops were grown on Le Notre’s Terraces.

Château de Sceaux, masks by Rodin at the cascades

Château de Sceaux

The duc de Trevise,  who married M. Lecomte’s daughter inherited the Château de Sceaux. He restored the park, the pavilion and the Orangerie. He had the architect Augustin Théophile Quantinet to design the château and Joseph-Michel Le Soufaché to build it between the years of 1856-62.


The heiress of Trevise, the Princess de Faucigny-Cystra planned to give the Château to property developers in 1922, though the mayor succeeded in protecting it and opened it to public.