Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Méry-sur-Oise came into being in the 6th century, when the monks of the Abbey of Saint-Denis established a priory and a wooden bridge on the Oise. Destroyed by the Vikings in 885, the site was taken over by the lords of Buffé, who built a castle there in the 12th century. The seigneury then passed to the Orgemont family in 1375, when Pierre I of Orgemont, Chancellor of France, erected a new castle there between 1375 and 1389. King Charles V frequently stayed there, and Pierre d'Orgemont continued writing the Great Chronicles of France.

In the 15th century, the seigneury of Méry was divided among Orgemont's heirs and reunited by Charles d'Orgemont in 1485. The latter reconstructs the village church and modernises the estate. In the 16th century, Méry d'Orgemont, governor of Paris, and his son Claude, the king's echanson, built the castle almost entirely in 1584. Despite financial difficulties, Claude d'Orgemont maintains a fabulous lifestyle, organizing parties and receptions. The wars of religion ended to ruin the family, leading to the sale of the estate in 1597 to Antoine de Saint-Chamans, near Henri IV.

Under the Saint-Chamans (XVIIth–XVIIIth centuries), the castle has a golden age. Antoine de Saint-Chamans, rich and patron, embellishes the interiors with works of art and receives artists. His descendant Francis II, Marquis de Méry, restored the castle in 1697, adding a southern facade of classical style. The Molé family then acquired the estate in 1735 through the marriage of Bonne-Félicité Bernard with Mathieu-François Molé. It modernises the western facade and develops the park with the help of Buffon. The castle then passed to the Lamonion, then to the Ségur-Lamonion, which kept it until 1976.

In the 20th century, the castle became public property. It was listed as a historic monument in 1937 and was classified in 1946. Rached by the municipality of Méry-sur-Oise in 2004 with the help of the Île-de-France region, it is now partially open to the public and hosts seminars. The park, freely accessible, houses an experimental botanical garden designed by Pascal Cribier, now abandoned. The castle was also used as a setting for films such as Chocolate (2016).

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