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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Hauts-de-France
  4. Somme
  5. 80340 Suzanne

  6. Suzanne Castle

Suzanne Castle dans la Somme

Somme

Suzanne Castle

    2 Rue D’En Bas
    80340 Suzanne
Photo de Suzanne Castle
isamiga76

Timeline

Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1619
Construction of the current castle
1625
Transition to Estourmel
fin XVIIe siècle
Addition of both wings
1855-1861
First restoration
1916
Military occupation
années 1970
End of Estourmel property
1984
Protection Historic Monument
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Ranked MH

Key figures

Georges de Valpergue - Lord of Suzanne and sponsor The castle was built in 1619.
Louise de Valpergue - Heir and wife of Estourmel Transfer the castle by marriage in 1625.
Louis Ier d'Estourmel - First Marquis Owner Acquire the castle via his marriage.
Louis II d'Estourmel - Marquis and patrons Add the two wings at the end of the seventeenth.
Cardinal de Richelieu - Minister of Louis XIII Set up a secret mother-son appointment.
Louis XIII - King of France Inspired by its architecture for Versailles.
Yves Lecoq - Owner and restaurant owner (1980-1998) Former imitator, restores the castle.
Frères Duthoit - Artists-drawing Illustrating the entrance and a south window.

Origin and history

Suzanne Castle, located in the department of the Somme between Amiens and Peronne, replaces an ancient medieval castle that is now extinct. The latter once defended the strategic passage of the Somme River. The present building, built in 1619 by Georges de Valpergue in brick and stone, rises on a terrace overlooking the ponds. He entered the Estourmel family in 1625 through the marriage of Louise de Valpergue with Louis I d'Estourmel. At the end of the 17th century, Louis II d'Estourmel added the two lateral wings, consolidating his architectural and political prestige.

The castle becomes a place of influence frequented by prominent figures, such as Fénelon or the Prince of Condé. According to tradition, Richelieu secretly organized a meeting between Louis XIII and Marie de Medici to calm their conflict, perhaps inspiring the young king for the facades and staircases of the future Palace of Versailles. The Duthoit Brothers immortalized his entrance and a south window in drawings, while his staircase of honor, a small replica of that of Versailles, has been classified as a Historic Monument since 1984.

Damaged during the First World War, the castle was restored twice (1855-1861 and after 1916). He remained in the Estourmel family until the 1970s and then changed his hands several times, including those of the empathist Yves Lecoq (1980-1998) who restored him. Today he is privately owned and does not visit himself but retains rare manerist elements in Picardia, such as his bosses and his pediments. Its park, structured in terraces with French gardens, still dominates the ponds and the river.

In 1984, Suzanne's castle was listed as a historical monument and bears witness to an architectural heritage that blends political history, mannerist art and war-related transformations. Its protected interiors include a chapel, a boudoir, a dining room with monumental fireplace, and a large living room, while its painted staircase recalls its supposed link with Versailles. Local bibliographies, such as those of Abbé Decagny or Josiane Sartre, document its importance in Picardy history.

External links

Page Wikipedia