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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Wideville, located in Crespières (Yvelines) in Île-de-France, is built between 1580 and 1584 for Benoît Milon, intendant of finance for Henri III, on the plans inspired by Jacques Androuet du Cerceau. It replaces a medieval mansion whose moat remains and a bastioned terrace. The sober and symmetrical Louis XIII style is characterized by a central house body flanked by two pavilions, in brick and white stone. The interiors, later decorated by Simon Vouet, reflect the splendor of the court under Louis XIII.

In 1630, the estate was acquired by Claude de Bullion, Superintendent of Finance of Louis XIII, who added an artificial cave (1635-1636), designed by Thomas Francine and decorated by Simon Vouet, Jacques Sarrazin and Philippe de Buyster. This nymph, one of the last preserved in France, combines mosaics of shells, stuccos and mythological paintings. The gardens, redesigned by Bullion, incorporate factories and statues now scattered.

In the 18th century, the castle passed into the hands of nobles like the Duke of Uzes, before being restored in the 19th century by the Count of Galard, who modernized the interiors under the direction of architect Clement Parent. In the 20th century, the estate changed several owners, including Baroness Antoinette Léonino (Family Rothschild) and, since 1995, designer Valentino Garavani. Ranked Historic Monument in 1977, it preserves rare elements such as the cave and painted decorations of Vouet.

The architecture of the castle, typical of the "houses of the fields" of Du Cerceau, is distinguished by its symmetry, its pediment windows and its portico of entry inspired by Philibert de l'Orme. The facades, made of brick and Crespières stone, contrast with the richly decorated interiors: fireplaces carved by Mathieu Jacquet, solos painted by Vouet, and a staircase with wooden balustrades. The original chapel, decorated by Toussaint Dubreuil in 1584, disappeared, but seven statues of the nymph, works by Philippe de Buyster, remained in the park.

The name Wideville could go back to a companion of William the Conqueror, Hugues de Wideville, certified in various forms (Udeville, Guideville) from the 14th century. The Wideville family, originally from northern France, would have left its name to this estate after settling in England. The castle, witness to the financial fascists of the Renaissance and French classicism, also illustrates the transformations of aristocratic residences in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the 20th century, the castle lost some of its furniture, like the triptych of Pagny, sold in 1921 and today at the Philadelphia Museum. Occupied by the Germans during World War II, it was restored after the war before being acquired by personalities such as Jacques Setton (1981) and Valentino. The cave, classified and restored between 1970 and 1976, remains a jewel of the heritage, just like the Louis XV woodwork of the hermitage, built in the eighteenth century.

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