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Origin and history

The castle of Baville, located in Saint-Chéron (Essonne), is a remarkable example of Louis XIII architecture. Built between 1625 and 1629 by Michel Villedo, master mason of Louis XIII, it replaces a former seigneurial mansion. The château, commissioned by Chrétien de Lamonion, adviser to the Paris Parliament, costs £45,000, a modest sum for the time. Its style combines white stone, red bricks and dardian roof, typical of the seventeenth century.

The land of Basville was acquired in 1559 by Charles de Lamaonion, but it was his son, Christian, who launched the construction. The estate becomes a meeting place for the intellectual and artistic elite of the Grand Century: Racine, La Fontaine, Madame de Sévigné, Boileau and Bourdaloue stay there. Guillaume I de Lamonion, Marquis de Basville, welcomes even Saint Vincent de Paul.

In 1677, two wings in return were added by Chrétien-François I of Lamonion, respecting the original style. The communes were built in 1769. Lamonion's family retained the castle until 1791, when it was sold to Marquis Rollin and Ivry, and then to Philippe Albert Joseph de Saulty, receiver general of Seine-et-Oise. In the 19th century, the left wing was destroyed to build an orangery, and the French gardens were replaced by English gardens in 1816, before being restored at the end of the century.

During the Second World War, the castle served as a boarding school at the Lycée Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague. In 1990, the estate (castle, outbuildings and parks) was included in the additional inventory of historical monuments. Today, it is also known as a filming location for the series L-Internat (2009).

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