Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The abbey of Notre-Dame de Sept-Fontaines was founded in 1129 by Hélie, lord of Mézières, and entrusted to monks of Floreffe. Destroyed during the Wars of Religion, it was rebuilt in 1698 by the premonstrates. Its history was marked by destructions, such as that of the abbey church in 1794 after its sale as a national good in 1791, where its furniture and sacred objects were scattered in neighbouring churches.

From the 19th century, the estate changed hands several times, undergoing major transformations: the disappearance of the cloister and wings, the addition of towers, and partial reconstruction after a fire in 1907. At the beginning of the 20th century, it became a pleasure property for industrialists, including Alfred Corneau, before being passed on to the family Vendroux, in-laws of Charles de Gaulle.

During the First World War, the castle served briefly as a headquarters for General Joffre, then was transformed into a casino by Emperor William II, who took tea daily with his officers. Between the two wars, Charles de Gaulle regularly stayed there for leisure and hunting activities. After 1945, the damaged estate was restored and converted into a luxury hotel and restaurant, before being closed in 2014.

The site, classified as a historic monument in 1980, now houses an 18-hole golf course. In 2024, he hosted a municipal marriage, while preparing an innovative medico-social project dedicated to autistic people. Its architecture, combining bricks and Louis XIII style stones, with circular and hexagonal towers, dominates a 60-hectare hilly park.

The notable abbots included Louis Du Four de Longuerue (1674-1733) and Jean-François Du Resnel du Bellay, appointed in 1733. The estate, passed into the hands of private owners such as the Prince of Merode and Michel Nicolle, illustrates a transition from a religious place to an aristocratic residence, then to a hotel and cultural establishment.

The Vendroux family, notably Jacques and Jean (brother of Yvonne de Gaulle), played a key role in preserving the site. Yvonne de Gaulle made a last pilgrimage there in 1978, highlighting the family attachment to this historic place, between religious heritage, military memory and worldly life.

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