Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Asnières, located in Asnières-sur-Seine in the Hauts-de-Seine, was erected in the 18th century in the location of an earlier residence built at the end of the 17th century by Antoine Lemoyne, priest doctor in Sorbonne. Under the Regency, he belonged to the Marquise de Parabère, mistress of the Regent, before being acquired in 1750 by the Marquis Marc-René d'Argenson de Voyer. The latter made it a sumptuous estate, competing with the nearby residences of the Dukes of Richelieu and Choiseul.

The Marquis de Voyer brought together the best artists of the period to embellish the castle: Jacques Hardouin-Mansart de Sagonne for architecture, Nicolas Pineau for ornaments, and Guillaume II Coustou for sculptures. The estate was also home to the general warehouse of the studs of Asnières, able to accommodate 250 horses, and a gallery of Flemish and Dutch paintings. The castle became a symbol of prestige, with rock interior decorations now partially dispersed, such as those of the central living room, visible at the castle of Cliveden House in England.

In 1750, the estate was enlarged by the Marquis through forced acquisitions, including part of the church of Sainte-Geneviève to make it a private chapel. The castle, linked to the studs by a majestic driveway, was the scene of a gruelling festival in the 19th century, like the Ball d'Asnières, immortalized in La Vie parisienne d'Offenbach. After serving as a place of entertainment for the Parisian bourgeoisie, it will house religious institutions until 1976, before being restored and classified as a Historical Monument in 1996.

The castle of Asnières influenced later constructions, such as the Hotel Porgès in Paris (1892) or The Elms in Newport (USA, 1901). Today, it is home to the French Federation of Chessmen. The studs, passed under royal control in 1764, were demolished between 1812 and 1835. The garden, classified in 1971, and the square Voyer-d.

Among the notable anecdotes, Offenbach mentions the castle in two of its operettas (La Vie parisienne, Geneviève de Brabant), while armchairs stamped Jean Gourdin, belonging to Coco Chanel, were auctioned in 2018. The castle thus illustrates the alliance between art, power and worldly life, from the Enlightenment to the 19th century.

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