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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château du Pailly, located 13 km from Langres in the Haute-Marne, is a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture in Champagne-Ardenne. Built between 1563 and 1573 by architect Nicolas Ribonnier for Gaspard de Saulx-Tavannes, Marshal of France and companion of arms of François I, it replaces an ancient medieval castle destroyed in the 13th century. The latter, partially rebuilt in the 15th century by Jean de Dommarien, retained only his dungeon before the Renaissance transformation. The new castle, of an ionic and Corinthian style, symbolizes the prestige of its sponsor, an influential member of the Burgundy nobility.

The castle experienced troubled periods: looted during the Revolution in 1793 by inhabitants of Heuilley-Cotton, it was confiscated and sold as national property in 1799. In the 19th century, the Breuil de Saint-Germain family restored it by rearranging the chapel, the chimneys, and the French garden, probably between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During World War II, the Germans installed a Kommandantur. Ranked a historic monument in 1921, it became state property in 1963 after belonging to the Eastern Agricultural Mutuals.

Architecturally, the castle is distinguished by its quadrilateral plan surrounded by moat, its facades adorned with ionic pilasters, and its large staircase with banded columns. The park, structured by an alley of lime trees in "marquise", houses rare trees such as black walnut or pink chestnut tree. The central perspective of the French garden, renovated by the Breuil de Saint-Germain, leads to a green room with views of the south-east facade. This site illustrates the influence of the Burgundy Renaissance, close to the castle of Sully, also linked to Gaspard de Saulx-Tavannes.

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