Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Rivière, located in Thomery in Seine-et-Marne, is built at the beginning of the seventeenth century by Roch Le Baillif, close to Henri IV. He then passed into the hands of prominent figures such as the Count of Toulouse (the illegitimate son of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan) and his son, the Duke of Penthièvre. In the 18th century, the estate changed owners several times, including the Marquis de Châteaubrun and François Boursier, former treasurer of France.

In the 19th century, the castle was deeply remodelled and successively belonged to General Philippe-Paul de Ségur, then to the Greffülhe family until 1912. Edmond Fabre-Luce, father of the writer Alfred Fabre-Luce, became its owner before the estate was passed on to his granddaughter, Françoise Fabre-Luce. During the Second World War, the castle served as an ammunition depot for the German army, undergoing an explosion in August 1944 during the Liberation.

The 66-hectare park, registered in 1947 for its picturesque character, includes a meadow on the banks of the Seine and a forest area. A historic driveway, the Route du Prince, paved in 1726, once linked the castle to the Fontainebleau Palace. The estate, now partially in ruins, preserves remains like a basin and abandoned pavilions, witness to its rich past.

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