Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Graville found its origins in a first fortress built around 1235, which fell into ruins at the beginning of the sixteenth century. From 1580, a new residence was erected, probably according to the plans of the architect Baptiste Androuet du Cerceau. This Renaissance-style castle reused the foundations of the old fortress while adopting a symmetrical rectangular plan, typical of the modern buildings of the time. The gardens, depicted on a map of the 18th century royal hunts, were organized in beds in front of the house body, extended by a half moon and a goose leg opening onto the surrounding woods.

In 1863, the Countess of Lancosme had a large part of the castle shaved, retaining only the central body, which was internally transformed. The gardens were also redesigned in a landscaped park by Denis Bühler, a renowned landscaper. This redesign marked a transition to a more romantic style, in vogue in the 19th century, while preserving some historical elements of the site.

The facades, roofs, moats, commons and two monumental chimneys of the castle were inscribed in the historical monuments by order of 15 September 2006. Today, the castle belongs to a private society and remains an architectural testimony of the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, mixing Renaissance heritage and subsequent transformations. The site is accessible from the departmental road 40, close to the Champagne forest, in the Seine-et-Marne department.

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