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Origin and history

The castle of the Celestines in Limay has its origins in the monastery of the Holy Trinity, founded in 1376 by King Charles V to install a community of Celestine monks. This monastery, conceived as a place of perpetual prayer for the salvation of the Kingdom and a burial for the knight John Martel, prospered thanks to the royal gifts (including 300 pounds of rent) and the winery. Placed under the rule of Saint Benedict, the monks, known for their piety, refused in 1592 to participate in a procession in honor of Henry IV, invoking their eremitical ideal. Their decline began in the 18th century, leading to the suppression of the monastery in 1778 after their refusal to reform their rule.

After the Revolution, the estate was acquired in 1791 by Louis François Alexandre Lemoine, the future mayor of Limay, who initiated his transformation into a neo-classical castle. Purchased in 1811 by absent owners, the building fell into disrepitude before being restored from 1820 by Mrs. Lecordier de Petagny, then by the Lefort and Lefebure family until the 20th century. Listed at the Historic Monuments in 1970 for its facades and interior decorations Empire, the castle, still private, now sees its park renovated into a public ecological space.

The current architecture combines a two-storey central body, an orangery decorated with bas-reliefs, and a terrace with views of Limay and Mantes-la-Jolie. The site, closed to the public, perpetuates the memory of the Celestines through its name and history, while the local archives (Bellamy, Bourlier, Fosse) document its evolution since the Middle Ages. The suppression of the monastery in 1778 marked a turning point, linking its destiny to that of national property during the Revolution.

The foundation of the monastery in 1376 was based on a twofold logic: spiritual (prayer for the kingdom) and economic (agricultural revival in a region ravaged by the Hundred Years' War). The monks cultivated the vine, the produce of which was used for the liturgy and the reception of visitors. Their refusal to leave their domain, even for royal ceremonies, illustrates their strict attachment to the Benedictine rule. The Commission des regulares (1766-1780), launched under Louis XV and then Louis XVI, sealed their fate by acquitting their abolition after their opposition to the reforms.

In the 19th century, the transformations of the castle reflected the tastes of the aristocracy and the rising bourgeoisie: neoclassicism, Empire decorations, and landscape integration. Paul Lefebure (heir in 1912) completed the arrangements, giving the castle its present appearance. The 1970 partial ranking protected the most remarkable elements, while the park, a former monastic estate, became a municipal project combining heritage and ecology. Recent publications (Montrose, 2023) highlight its role in Vexin's cultural heritage.

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