Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Villiers-le-Bâcle, located in Essonne in Île-de-France, finds its origins on the fief de Villiers (or fief de Presles), mentioned from the fourteenth century. This domain successively belonged to influential families, such as the Neighbors (XIVth–XVIth centuries), before being acquired in the 17th century by Françoise Lombard, Michel Lucas – close to Louis XIII – and then Nicolas de Bartillat. The present castle, built around 1650 by Michel Lucas, replaces a 17th century mansion, Hotel de Presles, whose ruins remain. The site, strategically placed on the edge of the Saclay plateau, was then a place of local power and seigneurial management.

In the 18th century, the castle passed into the hands of Claude Olivier Boucher and d The latter marked the history of the estate by documenting daily life at the Belle Époque thanks to photographs by Eugene Biver, rediscovered in 2013. These photographs illustrate agricultural activities, religious festivals and village traditions, offering a rare testimony of the Franciscan rural society. The 40-hectare park, including forest, vegetable garden and orangery, reflects this historic autarcie, although moat was filled in the 19th century.

Partially listed as historical monuments in 1946, the castle was attended by famous owners, such as Yves Lecoq (1995–2021), who restored it before its sale to Xavier Niel. Although closed to the public in normal times, it hosts films (such as Ridicule in 1996 or the Nicolas Le Floch series) and private events. Its architecture, typical of the Louis XIII style with its H-wings and its brick façade, houses remarkable interiors, including a staircase copied from the Beauvais hotel and 17th-century rooms. The site, classified in 1966, also retains traces of old outbuildings, such as a presbytery moved in the 20th century and a court transformed into a communal cemetery.

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