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Origin and history

The castle of Boissy-le-Sec came into being in 1339, according to a local tradition, when Jean Paviot, knight banneret of Philippe VI de Valois, erected a fortress to strengthen defences around Paris in the face of English threats during the Hundred Years War. The site was mentioned in 1360 in the Bretigny Treaty as one of the strongholds given to the English as a pledge of John II's ransom. The archives attest, however, to the seigneury of Jean Paviot only from 1349, through an act of tribute to the Duchess of Alençon. The castle, taken by the English around 1358, retained a strategic role between Etampes and Dourdan.

In the 15th century, Paviot's heirs turned the fortress into a marina, adding a body of Gothic houses flamboyant between two round towers and piercing large sill windows. A south wing, enlarged and raised, includes an open arched gallery, while the carved stone frames of the windows are partially masked in the 18th century by plaster plates to modernize the facade. These Baroque modifications, rediscovered in 2006 during a raid, reveal medieval traces and lead to an additional inscription to historical monuments.

The seigneury passed in 1697 to the Boyetet of Mérouville, family of anoblis traders, who kept it until the Revolution. Confiscated to Guillaume Couturier, farmer general guillotine in 1794, the estate was recovered by his widow, who brought it to Jean-Baptiste Bourgeon. The latter, mayor under the Empire, redesigned the park in landscape style and restored the nearby church in neo-classical style. The castle, partially protected in 1984 (story vaulted and cellars) and in 2007 (façades and roofs), today combines medieval elements (cylindrical towers, ogival bass hall) and classic additions.

The present architecture reflects three major countrysides: the 14th century (fortress with towers and vaulted hall), the 17th century (body of houses between towers) and the 20th century (unification of facades by a crepi). The lower room, with a central pillar bearing warheads, could date back to the end of the 13th century, while a vaulted cellar would testify to an older seigneurial home, perhaps built under Philippe Auguste. The two round towers surrounding the north façade, one of which was a dungeon, illustrate the evolution of an aristocratic stronghold.

Agricultural buildings, organised around a courtyard, date in part from the 16th century, when the "old castle" is mentioned with its park. The transformations of the 18th and 19th centuries (tank, landscape park) complete to give the domain its present appearance, combining medieval heritage and modern amenities. The successive protections (1984, 2007) highlight the heritage value of this site, a witness to the architectural and political changes of Ile-de-France.

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