Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Cirey, located in Cirey-sur-Blaise in Haute-Marne, was rebuilt in 1643 by the Marquis Louis-Jules du Châtelet on the ruins of an ancient feudal castle destroyed in 1633. Originally, it consisted of a central pavilion and a right wing of Louis XIII style, designed to evoke "a small Versailles". The building, made of brick and stone, was distinguished by its high roofs and characteristic architecture of the era.

In 1734 Voltaire, fleeing Paris after the controversial publication of his Philosophical Letters, found refuge at the castle upon invitation of Émilie du Châtelet, marquise des lieux and intellectual figure of the Enlightenment. With the agreement of the Marquis Florent-Claude du Châtelet, Voltaire added an additional wing, adorned with a carved door after his drawings (marine motifs with shells and faces of Neptune). He also set up a private theatre under the roof, one of the rare examples preserved from the eighteenth century, where his plays were played. The Marquise, passionate about architecture and gardens, actively participated in the transformation of the places, as evidenced by Voltaire's letters describing his interventions.

The 19th century saw the addition of a chapel (1855), decorated by the painter Constant Ménissier of scenes depicting Saint Charles Borromée, as well as the extension of the commons ( stables, barns, pigeonhouse) and the park. The latter, rearranged in a landscaped style, includes factories such as a wood-cut cottage, a cooler, and a metal bridge (1880). The entrance pavilions, built in 1915, complete the whole. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1981 for its parts XVII–XVIII (theatre, living room, dining room) and inscribed for its elements XIX–XXe, the castle remains a private residence open to the public.

The site also preserves the traces of its industrial past with the hall of an old forge (1855) and its beef, as well as typical agricultural buildings (farm, orangery, washhouse). The present owners have restored the theatre of Voltaire, regaining its curtain painted in trompe-l'oeil and its original banquets. The castle was also a filming venue for the show Secrets d'Histoire (2019), dedicated to Voltaire.

The archives reveal the daily organization under Voltaire: a chemist invited in 1737 had to say Mass in the chapel and benefited from a laboratory and a private garden. The letters of the writer to Abbé Moussinot detail the furnishing of the castle, the orders of objects (statues, globes, marble chimneys), and the layout of the spaces by the Marquise, described as a "fee" transforming the places with ingenuity. These documents illustrate the intellectual and social life that animated Cirey, between science, theatre and philosophy.

Future

Cirey is a private residence that its owners open to the general public for the visit.

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