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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Jeurre, located in Morigny-Champigny en Essonne, is an estate whose origins date back to the 17th century, with major transformations in the 4th quarter of the 18th century. The site was mentioned in 1412 as the tower of Jeurres, then as castles of the Grand and Petit Jeurre in 1689. Between 1809 and 1814 Count Mollien, the husband of Adèle Dutilleule, enlarged the castle, rebuilt the communes, the farm and the gardener's house, with the help of architects Pierre-Nicolas Bénard and Jacques-Charles Bonnard. The park, with an area of 60 hectares, was built at that time, incorporating aisles of boxwood and architectural elements saved from destruction.

In 1895, factories created by Hubert Robert for the Marquis de Laborde, banker of Louis XV, were dismantled from the Parc de Méréville and relocated to Jeurre between 1896 and 1897. These elements include the Temple of the subsidiary Piety, the Dairy (with its trompe l'oeil façade), the Cook Cenotaph (sculpted by Augustin Pajou), and the Rostral Column commemorating the expedition of La Perugia. These works also recall the tragedy of 1786, where the Marquis de Laborde lost his two sons in a shipwreck in Alaska. Other elements, such as the pediment of the royal castle of Saint-Cloud or a 17th century armillary sphere, enrich this eclectic park.

The estate is classified as Historical Monument in stages: the Temple of Love, the tomb of Cook, the rostral column and the facade of the old dairy are classified in 1957, followed by the fronton of Saint-Cloud in 1973. The facades and roofs of the castle, including the elements reported, were inscribed in 1980. Finally, the entire site is classified in 1990, recognizing its exceptional heritage value, combining local history, garden art and 18th century architectural heritage.

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