Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Réveillon, located in the Marne River, was built between 1607 and 1617 by Claude II of Ancienville and his wife Judith Raguier, on the foundations of an ancient feudal castle. In Renaissance style, it is distinguished by its U-shaped plan, its moats and a paved courtyard. In 1640, expertise revealed that the work was incomplete: missing windows, unfinished walls, and rough interiors. Little information remains on its evolution until the early 18th century, when it changed owners several times, including Michel Larcher, Jacques Galland, and Fieubet's family.

In 1719, the Marquis d'Argenson acquired the estate and made major modifications, such as a carved pediment representing Minerva and the transformation of the bays. In 1730 he sold the castle to Jules-Robert de Cotte, king's architect, who added woodwork, paintings and decorated the estate's farms. The French-style gardens, created under Jacques Galland around 1663, include an aisle d'ormes (Returnneloup) and a vegetable garden watered by the local river. The estate, with its outbuildings (farm, dovecote of 3,500 bolts, melonnière), illustrates the aristocratic interest in agriculture and art.

In the 19th century, the castle passed into the hands of the Herbelin family, then the painter Madeleine Lemaire, famous for her roses and her Parisian salon frequented by Marcel Proust. The latter is inspired by the place in In search of lost time, describing its chestnut trees and its atmosphere. Spared by the two world wars despite German occupation in 1940, the castle fell into ruins after 1945. A restoration campaign started in 1992 saved the monument, classified since 1948, as well as its park and gardens (classified in 1996).

The outbuildings, such as the 17th-century brick and stone farm, or the dovecote restored in 1992, testify to the rural architecture of the period. The melonnière, designed by Jules-Robert de Cotte, uses an ingenious system of walls to cultivate melons in this climate. The Louis XV honour grid and the commons complete this harmonious ensemble, reflecting the evolution of tastes and techniques between Renaissance and the Enlightenment century.

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