Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Villette found its origins in the 16th century with the Bourdin family, then passed into the hands of the Vallois, Marquis de Villette, before being sold in 1609 to Jean Dyel, king's adviser. His son, John II Dyel, Count of Auffay and Ambassador of Louis XIV to Venice, built between 1663 and 1669 the present building, replacing an old strong house. Although unconfirmed, the plans were attributed to François Mansart, and the construction was led by his nephew Jules Hardouin-Mansart after his death. The count died in 1668 without a direct heir, legifying the estate to his sister Marie Dyel, wife of Charles de Mathan.

In the 18th century, the castle changed hands several times: sold in 1715 to Pierre Michel Cousin de Conteville, attorney general of the king, it was embellished by a chapel and modernization works between 1746 and 1751 under Abraham Joseph Michelet de Vatimont. The estate then became the property of François-Jacques de Grouchy, whose children, such as the philosopher Sophie de Grouchy (wife of Condorcet) or Marshal Emmanuel de Grouchy, made it a meeting place for pre-revolutionary ideologists. After the Revolution, the castle was sold in 1818 to Louis Le Bouteiller, then passed into the hands of influential families like the Fouché d'Otrante.

In the 20th century, the castle suffered damage during a bombing in 1944, destroying chapel and orangery, rebuilt shortly afterwards. Acquired in 1936 by Renée Pernod (widow of the inventor of the famous aperitif), then by his family until 1998, he was bought by Olivia Hsu Decker before being restored from 2011 by the husbands Bogdanov, under the direction of architect Jacques Garcia. Ranked a historic monument in 1942, it is not open to the public but visits at private events.

Architecturally, the castle is distinguished by its central rotunda body, lateral pavilions and Mansart roofs, typical of the seventeenth century. The courtyard of honour, framed by dissymmetric buildings connected by galleries in the hemicycle, is closed by a wrought iron gate classified. The 75-hectare estate, including gardens and outbuildings (common, orangery, press), reflects the evolution of the aristocratic tastes of the 17th and 18th centuries.

The Château de Villette also marked popular culture, serving as a setting for films such as Da Vinci Code (2006) or Les Translators (2019), and series such as Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (1998). Its history, combining diplomacy, philosophy and architectural heritage, makes it an unknown jewel of the Île-de-France.

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