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Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Septeuil, located in the village of Septeuil (Yvelines), succeeds a medieval fortress located behind the church. The present building, built in the 18th century, consists of a central body framed by two pavilions, including a rotunda called "music". The park, prior to the castle and attributed to Le Nôtre, initially extended over 26 hectares, reduced to 17 today. The transformations of the 20th century, linked to its medical use, made disappear original elements such as ditches, a wrought iron gate and a staircase designed to ride on horseback.

In the 18th century, the castle belonged first to Louis Charles de Bourbon, Count of Eu and grandson of Louis XIV, who tried to sell it to Louis XV in 1773, but the transaction was cancelled by Louis XVI after the king died. In 1775 the estate returned to the Duke of Penthièvre, cousin of the Earl of Eu, before being acquired in 1776 by Tourteau, king's adviser. His son, Louis Achille Hippolyte Tourteau de Septeuil, a soldier wounded in the Spanish war, received personalities like the Duchess of Angoulême and died there in 1861.

In the 20th century, the castle became a preventorium in 1927, then a retirement home in 1955. In 2005, the site was divided between an Ehpad and a medical home. Although administratively dependent on the commune of Courgent, there remains an architectural and historical testimony marked by its aristocratic owners and functional transformations.

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