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Origin and history

The Château du Vivier, located in Fontenay-Trésigny in Seine-et-Marne, was built at the end of the 13th century on land dependent on the seigneury of Tournan-en-Brie. In 1293 John II of Garlande sold the land to Peter of Chambly, executor of the will of Philip III and chamberlain of Philip IV the Bel. The latter quickly gave the seigneury to Charles de Valois, the king's brother, who built a royal residence there completed around 1308. The castle became a place of residence for the kings of France, including Philip IV and his son Philip V, who signed major ordinances there in 1319 and 1320.

In 1316, Pope John XXII authorized the foundation of a chapel dedicated to St.Thomas Beckett, raised to the rank of collegiate in 1352 during the lavish marriage of Jeanne of France, daughter of John II the Good, with Charles the Bad, king of Navarre. Philip VI of Valois added a chapel dedicated to Saint Louis in 1336. Charles V deposited in 1368 a fragment of the True Cross, making the chapel a "holy chapel", and built the gate tower, before that of the Château de Vincennes. The castle also welcomed Charles VI, relegated during his insanity attacks from 1392.

After a gradual decline, the castle was abandoned during the Hundred Years War and restored in 1391. François I stayed there in 1546, but the house, delabated, forced him to reside with the canons. In 1694, Louis XIV ordered the assembly of the holy chapel to that of Vincennes, and Louis XV definitively abolished it in 1734. Sold as a national property in 1791, the property was converted into a farm, then a barn, before being bought in 1830 by Jean-Baptiste-Nicolas Parquin, who built a new castle and built an English park.

In the 20th century, the estate passed into the hands of several owners, including the Viscount de Perthuis, who installed a Shetlands herding in the 1930s. In 1958, a Parisian industrialist, Mr. Cousin, undertook major restoration work. The ruins of the castle and the corresponding floors are classified as Historical Monuments on 31 October 1996. Today, the site is used as a venue for receptions, seminars and filming, while preserving the remains of its royal past.

The Château du Vivier is closely linked to Capetian history, serving as a residence for the Valois and the first Bourbons. His pond, originally named after him, once fed the Louvre Castle in carp. The current ruins, although partially dilapidated, bear witness to its architectural and political importance, including its iconic door tower and the traces of its royal chapels. The site, private, remains a remarkable example of the evolution of castles in Île-de-France, between royal power, decline and modern rehabilitation.

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