château de Chamarande

The Chateau de Chamarande is a 17th-century French chateau located in the commune of Chamarande, within the Essonne department and the Ile-de-France region. Situated thirty-nine kilometers southwest of Paris and nine kilometers northeast of Etampes in the former province of Hurepoix, the estate spans a 98-hectare park. Owned by the Departmental Council of Essonne, the property serves as a major cultural and administrative site. It houses the main repository for the Essonne departmental archives, a contemporary art center, the FDAC91, and a hosting center for school green classes. The park is open to the public year-round.

A castle was first established at Bonnes, the primitive name for Chamarande, around 811 by Arteld, missus dominicus and brother of Charlemagne's biographer Einhard, though excavations show the site was never fortified. A fortified chateau was built in the 16th century, likely for Francois Miron, provost of the merchants of Paris and friend to King Henry IV, who acquired the two seigneuries forming the current estate in 1603. After Miron's death in 1609, his son Jean expanded the domain, but the property suffered during the Fronde. In 1654, the deteriorated chateau was sold to Pierre Merault, a former gabelle farmer turned ecuyer and secretary to King Louis XIV. Merault constructed the present chateau. In debt, he sold the estate in 1684 to Clair Gilbert d'Ornaison, first valet de chambre to Louis XIV. The following year, Louis XIV elevated Bonnes into the county of Chamarande. Upon d'Ornaison's death in 1737, the chateau passed to his cousin, Louis de Talaru, marquis de Chalmazel. The county was abolished in 1789, and the chateau was seized in 1794, its furnishings sold at auction. Louis-Justin-Marie de Talaru recovered the estate under the Consulate, repaired it, and resided there as mayor until his death in 1850. The estate changed hands several times subsequently, owned by the Robineau family in 1852, then Victor Fialin, duc de Persigny, in 1857. Aristide Boucicaut acquired it in 1876, followed by his widow and her second husband, doctor Laurent Amodru. From 1923 to 1951, the chateau was central to French Scouting, and in 1950 it hosted the first A coeur joie festival. Auguste Mione was the last private owner before the General Council of Essonne purchased the estate in 1978.

Since 2001, the Chateau de Chamarande has hosted a contemporary art center, initiated by Dominique Marches, founder of the Vassiviere art center. The center manages a permanent collection titled L'esprit des lieux, acquired through a fund from the Essonne department. This collection focuses on permanent sculptural installations distributed throughout the park, which interact directly with the historical landscape and architecture of the estate. Additionally, the orangery is dedicated to presenting monograph exhibitions focused on young artists. The art center also organizes seasonal programming from May to October, including storytelling, music, dance, film festivals, and gardening and heritage events.

The permanent contemporary art collection includes works by Lilian Bourgeat, Erik Samakh, Miguel Egana, Bert Theis, and Philippe Ramette. Specific installations integrated into the park include Erik Samakh's flutes solaires, Miguel Egana's Feuilles scies from 2001, and Bert Theis's giant white crosses. The historical icehouse contains a sound installation by Celeste Boursier-Mougenot. Past monograph exhibitions at the orangery have featured Sammy Engramer and David Evrard in 2007, and Sylvain Rousseau in 2008.

The current chateau was built for Pierre Merault in the pure Louis XIII style, designed by the king's architect Nicolas de L'Espine. The structure forms a quadrilateral surrounded by moats, comprising the main residence flanked laterally by service wings. The entrance to the main courtyard is flanked by two pavilions, with the left pavilion housing a chapel featuring a baroque cupola and stucco decoration by sculptor Louis Lerambert, containing stained glass windows reflecting the high rank of its former lords. In the 18th century, architect Pierre Contant d'Ivry added new service quarters beyond the secondary route, an orangery, a belvedere, an icehouse, a cascatelle, and an oval bosquet for a Jeu de l'oie with a temple of love at its center. He removed the courtyard wall along the moat, installing an ironwork gate with two lampholders, and modernized the interiors, creating a petit salon gros and a grand salon d'angle. A water feature with an island bordered by bald cypresses from Louisiana, traditionally attributed to Hubert Robert, was added in the 1780s. In the 19th century, the duc de Persigny added a luxurious gallery on the ground floor, a fortified wall, exotic trees, a farm, stables, a bergerie, a birdhouse, a kennel, a new icehouse, a winter garden, and an obelisk inspired by the Songe de Poliphile. Aristide Boucicaut later added a Renaissance-style dining room, and after 1913, copies of river statues from the parc de Versailles were added to the waterfall.

The Chateau de Chamarande is located in Chamarande, Essonne, France. The 98-hectare park is open to the public year-round. The property is owned by the Departmental Council of Essonne. The former commanderie, or service buildings, has served as the main repository for the Essonne departmental archives since 1999, utilizing an eight-floor underground silo beneath the chateau's courtyard that accommodates up to 32 kilometers of shelving. The estate also accommodates a center for school green classes and the FDAC91.