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Origin and history

The castle of Madrid, originally named château de Boulogne, was commissioned in 1528 by King Francis I in the Bois de Boulogne, on the present town of Neuilly-sur-Seine. Designed as a royal residence of the French Renaissance, it was completed under the reign of his son Henry II. The works, led by Italian and French artists such as Girolamo della Robbia, Pierre Gadier and Philibert Delorme, lasted until 1568-1570. The castle was distinguished by its facades covered with glazed terracotta invetriata (terracota invetriata), which gave it the nickname Château de faience. His H-shaped design, inspired by Italian models such as the Boffalora villa, blended French architectural elements, such as the pavilions with towers, similar to those of Chambord or Chenonceau.

The origin of its name Madrid remains debated. A hypothesis often mentioned, but not plausible, suggests an inspiration from the Royal Alcazar of Madrid, rebuilt by Charles Quint in 1537 — that is after the beginning of the works of the Château de Boulogne. Another explanation, reported by the historian Sauval, relates this name to the captivity of Francis I in Madrid after the defeat of Pavia (1525). The courtiers, mocking the king's absences at Boulogne Castle, said that he was in Madrid, a nickname that gradually became known. The decorations of enamelled tiles, evoking the Spanish azulejos, strengthened this name, as evidenced by the plans of Androuet du Cerceau, who named him Boulongne dit Madril.

The castle of Madrid played a major political role in the 16th century, notably under Charles IX and Catherine de Medici. He was at the heart of the intrigues preceding the massacre of Saint Barthélemy (1572) and welcomed Marguerite de Valois after her return in grace in 1605. Abandoned by Henry III and then Louis XIII, he lost his importance with the rise of Versailles. In the 17th century, it housed a silk stockings factory, the first of its kind in France, founded by Jean Hindret in 1656. But the building, already in ruins in 1657, was sold in 1792 for demolition. The materials were dispersed: woodwork, lead and terracotta from Della Robbia were sold, while some fragments (a capital in the Château d'Ecouen and ceramics at the Musée Carnavalet and Sèvres) remain today.

In its place successively installed a clinic, a haras and a restaurant, built on the former commons for the walkers of the Bois de Boulogne. Under Napoleon III, the site was renovated, and in 1909, a neo-Renaissance-style hotel-restaurant was built there, before being converted into housing in the 1950s. Today, there is no visible trace of the castle, but its history illustrates the influence of the Italian Renaissance in France and the fascist of royal residences before their decline against Versailles.

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