Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Courson Castle, located in the former country of Hurepoix (now Essonne), is originally owned by the Lamonion family. Acquired in 1672 by Guillaume de Lamonion, President of the Parliament of Paris, he took on his present aspect in the eighteenth century under the impetus of his son Nicolas, intendant of Languedoc. The estate, confiscated and then returned, is transmitted by inheritance or sale to influential families such as the Dupleix de Bacquencourt, the Montesquiou-Fezensac or the Arrighi de Casanova, the latter redrawing the gardens in the 19th century with the Bühler brothers.

The park, originally designed by a student from Le Nôtre in the 18th century, was redesigned in 1820 by Louis-Martin Berthault for the Duke of Padua, then in 1860 by the Bühler brothers. Ranked a Historical Monument in 1944 (façades, roofs, hydraulic installation) and registered in 1992 (park, commons, chapel), the castle houses collections of the First and Second Empire. After 200 years in the same family, it is offered for sale in 2022. Its park, labeled "Remarkable Garden", hosts until 2015 the Journées des Plantes de Courson.

The successive owners marked the history of the estate: Balthazar de Méalet de Fargues, condemned in 1661 for his support of Condé; Guillaume Joseph Dupleix de Bacquencourt, guillotined under the Terror; or Jean Toussaint Arrighi de Casanova, Duke of Padua and Member of Parliament for Corsica. The castle, open to the public from March to November, illustrates the architectural and landscape evolution of aristocratic residences in Île-de-France, between classicism and romanticism.

The site, still inhabited by the descendants of the Nervaux-Loys, maintains a cultural and tourist activity. Michael Apted's film Bring On the Night (1985) was partially filmed, featuring musician Sting. The visits allow you to discover the richly furnished interiors, the communes, and a park combining 17th century heritage and 19th century amenities, testifying to the adaptation of French gardens to successive tastes.

The history of the castle reflects the French political upheavals, from the Fronde to the Revolution, to the imperial regimes. Its protected architecture and gardens make it a representative example of seigneurial residences transformed into recreational residences under the Old Regime, then into private properties preserved until the contemporary era.

External links