Chateau Chamarande is A Hidden Jewel Near Paris

I had been intrigued several times by this lovely château, having had only quick glimpses of part of her facade through the window of a suburban train heading south of Paris.  From afar, the images were striking and searing, if only for a second in passing,  and each time managed to aroused my imagination.

It was only many years later that I set out to fully capture, what in the past was just a very brief image.    As I first walked onto the vast estate, I found myself surprised by her  immense size and exquisite beauty, never fully revealed from the passing train.

The first château was built in 811, but it was acquired in 1654 by an official collector of the salt tax.  The salt tax was one of the most rightfully hated of all taxes imposed on the populace, with collectors often taking bribes.

After being able to buy a statute of nobility, Pierre Mérault wanted a demur that would reflect and announce to all his newly noble status.    Château Chamarande was  redesigned and enlarged  at that time along the same  architectural motif as the Place des Voges in Paris.

Both are resplendent examples of Louis XIII style, and the similarities are indeed apparent.   The soft shades of orange and apricot lend a intricateness and feminine allure that looks outstanding against the greenery of the forested estate.

The exterior of the château remains very well-preserved, including the old stables, servant quarters and chapel.   Inside is a different story though, but at least for me, that only adds to her charm and intrigue.

As soon as I walked through the door of the château, I felt an immediate sense of sad resolve and of suspended time where hope slowly dwindled, but for what reason? There wasn’t any gaiety left in the walls, but only a quiet loneliness and a sense of things left to a fate beyond control.

It was only in doing research for this post, that I begin to understand my original feelings.  Old stones retain and give off the energies of those who lived within their walls.

The history given for the château paints a story of multiple proprietors after being sold by the newly noble tax collector.  Not surprising after the magnificent restoration, the original owner sank into mounting debts and had to sell the château in 1684.

Louis de Talaru, from an old noble family acquired the château and created the lake, the orangerie, the vegetable garden, the glaciere, the fountain and in general redesigned the grounds of the  whole estate.  His son, César de Talaru, after surviving being a soldier is the Seven Years War, went on to become the Premiere Maitre D’Hotel to queen Marie Antoinette, and was guillotined during the French Revolution.

Around 1850, the Duc de Persigny , who was appointed the ambassador to London under Napoleon III took ownership and added another gallery to the front.  His marriage to a woman 24 years his junior apparently wasn’t too happy as history notes that his wife never even attended his funeral.

In 1879, the château was bought by Anthony Boucicaut  the son of  the founders of the grand Parisian department store, Bon Marché, who added a farm and kennel, where their are resident goats and donkeys.   Unfortunately, another tragic premature death occurred, as he died the following year at the age of 41.

His widow remarried the adjoining mayor of the village, keeping the château in her hands until it was later purchased by one other person, before the department of Essonne acquired the property in 1978.   The château has only been somewhat restored, which to date comprises the main floor of the château.                                                                                                                                                           Currently the  interior is being used to show contemporary art.  The walls as seen in the photo, that have been left uncovered  are showing their age, which I found to my liking.

As the French say this château  remains “dans son jus”, which literally translates to “in its juice” meaning having retained its original  look.  Perhaps a repainting was done many years ago, however there were minute tiny holes around the mouldings and the gold leaf was thin, peeling or rubbed off in spots.

The central wrought iron staircase leads to the second floor which is off-limits for visitors.  In peering through the keyhole of the locked doors to both wings, I saw a few brocaded chairs  amongst general disorder, waiting perhaps another day and the funds for restoration.

Likewise the adorable looking chapel isn’t open either, though the old stable and servant quarters is used for weekend activities reserved for school kids and groups.

The moats that surround the château are wide and impressive as is the wonderful wooded estate with a large central lake and a tributary of the river Juine, which supplied the water for the lake and moats.

Strategically placed wells provided the water for the huge vegetable garden that furnished the domain year round with foods for the table.  Frozen blocks of ice and snow from the winter were kept deep underground in caverns called a glaciere, which ensured cool beverages and sherbet during the summer months.

The orangerie, which most châteaux had, kept orange and lemon, pomegranate, and various other fragile plants alive during the freezing winter.  Built with its windows facing south, it could soak up the majority of sunshine available to maintain a greenhouse temperature.

An unusual aspect of the estate is the remnants of a once popular game called the jeu de l’oie, or goose game.  Basically the layout was shaped liked a spiral and resembles a labyrinth.

The player moves were dictated by a throw of the dice and they often found themselves running into dead ends until finally they gained admittance to a central temple of love.   I wonder if our on english expression of being on “a goose chase” might have derived from this Renaissance game.

Another mysterious element, is that in 1990, some archeological digs in the courtyard reveals evidence that the site was inhabited during the gallo roman times, dating from 52 BC to 486 AD.  Those digs obviously preceded a strange, in my view. addition to the château.

In 1999 the entire courtyard was dug down to 20 meters deep and now houses 8 levels of reading material from the whole département of Essonne.  Supposedly there are 32 kilometers underground space available for storing over 900 years worth of books, and etc, that are not open to the public.

The beautiful lake has a central island where one finds several bald cypress tress from Louisiana, as well as a few on the banks, where I almost slipped down in the surrounding mud to get a better view.

The estate prides itself of maintaining a microcosmic ecosystem of the grounds in order to maintain a biodiversity of nature.  Conversely, this leaning towards diversity, at least in an artistic vein, attempting to blend contemporary art into a Renaissance château, just seems oddly misplaced in my opinion.

Some semi abstract sculptures floating in the lake, though interesting from an artistic point of view, seemed nevertheless out-of-place, though cute.  More to the absolute absurd was lining the only fountain of the estate with white bathtubs, which for me was a silly distraction from the whole atmosphere.

Aside from this, the château and especially the peaceful surrounding park make for a wonderful Sunday stroll that has meditative possibilities, if  you are geared like I am to being naturally reflective.

Though it lacks the magnificent splendor of Versailles and Vaux le Vicomte, Château Chamarande offers a quieter peek into a château who still retains a more humble hominess and interiors  still suspended in time.   Despite her majestic expansiveness, for the many noble families who lived within her walls, it was first and foremost their home.