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Origin and history

The Château de la Rochefoucauld, located in Liancourt, Oise, finds its origins in the 14th century with a modest mansion built by the Cressonsacq family, then enlarged by Jean I of Popincourt. This first building, surrounded by moat, was replaced in the 16th century by a larger house under the Plessis, a Protestant family close to Henry IV. The major transformations took place at the beginning of the 17th century under Charles du Plessis and his wife Antoinette de Pons, who modernized the castle into a luxurious residence, with galleries, pavilions and French gardens.

In the mid-17th century, Roger du Plessis-Liancourt and his wife Jeanne de Schomberg undertook a complete reconstruction, creating the estate of Liancourt-les-Belles-Eaux. The castle became a reception place for Louis XIV and a symbol of the prestige of La Rochefoucauld, who inherited it by alliance. The estate is enriched with marble fountains of Carrara, transferred from the castle of Gaillon, and with parts designed by Jeanne de Schomberg. The splendor of the place lasted until the Revolution, when the castle was confiscated, used as a prison, and then abandoned.

In the 19th century, the 7th Duke of La Rochefoucauld, François XII, returned from exile and saw the deterioration of the castle, which he demolished. Only the north wing remained until 1924, when it was razed by a private owner. The commons, built around 1754 in a classical style with rotunda and vaulted galleries, escape destruction. Ranked in 1930, they successively house a factory, a school, and then a media library after their restoration in the 21st century. Today, they are the last vestige of the estate.

Archaeological excavations carried out in 2012 near the communes revealed remains of the 17th century basins and fountains, testifying to the past opulence of the castle. The site, marked by centuries of noble history and architectural transformations, illustrates the evolution of aristocratic residences in Picardia, between political power, garden art and post-revolutionary decline.

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