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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Conflans, now extinct, was located in Charenton-le-Pont, in the current Ile-de-France region. Its origins date back to the Middle Ages, with a hotel belonging to Robert II, Count d'Artois, inherited by his daughter Mahaut in 1303. This medieval mansion, surrounded by walls and ditches, was enlarged between 1314 and 1320, including a chapel. He then passed to the Dukes of Burgundy, including Charles the Temerary, before being abandoned and ruined in the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the estate was dismantled and rebuilt by Villeroy's family, transforming the mansion into a sumptuous residence. Nicolas III of Neufville de Villeroy, dit Legendre, undertook important work between 1575 and 1603, including a gallery of Orangers, stables, and a central house body. The high gallery, decorated with 350 portraits, offered stunning views of Paris and the Seine. Henry IV and Ronsard stayed there, and the castle became a luxurious reception place.

In the 17th century, the castle changed hands several times: acquired by Nicolas de Verdun, then by the Marquise de Senecey, the ruler of Louis XIV, who had a ceiling painted by Eustache Le Sueur. In 1655, the Duke of Richelieu became its owner and received Molière for a representation of La Critique de l'école des femmes. In 1673 the archbishop of Paris, François Harlay de Champvallon, made it his summer residence. André Le Nôtre built the gardens there, and a hydraulic mill was built to supply the fountains.

The castle reached its peak in the 17th and 18th centuries as the residence of the archbishops of Paris. Major works were carried out, including the reconstruction of the central house by Pierre Desmaisons in 1786 and the addition of a circular garden factory. Madame de Sévigné and Saint-Simon praised its beauty. However, after the Revolution, the estate was fragmented and sold as a national good. The castle's wings were gradually destroyed in the 19th and 20th centuries, leaving only a few remains such as the entrance gate of 1777 and a Renaissance staircase.

In the 19th century, part of the castle served as a seminary before being demolished in 1926. West wing, owned by the Hartmann family, was destroyed in 1967 to give way to residential buildings. The gardens, transformed into sports grounds and real estate complexes, erase almost any trace of the estate. Today, only the gate rue du Séminaire-de-Conflans remains and a staircase integrated with an HBM ensemble, silent testimonies of what was one of the most beautiful houses in Île-de-France.

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