Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The château du Grand-Jardin, located in Joinville in Haute-Marne, was built between 1533 and 1546 by Claude de Lorraine, 1st Duke of Guise, as a marina. Complementing the castle of En-Haut, it became a place of prestigious festivals, welcoming illustrious guests such as François I in 1546. Its name, originally castle of En-Bas, was replaced by Grand-Jardin because of its lush gardens, designed to symbolize power, prosperity and fertility.

The pavilion, a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, is inspired by the treatises of Sebastiano Serlio and features a sculpted decor that evokes the war, peace and genealogy of the Guise. The gardens, partially destroyed by Charles Quint's troops in 1544, were restored for the arrival of Francis I. After the Revolution, the estate passed to the Dukes of Orleans, then to private owners like Pierre-Hyacinthe-Félix Salin in the 19th century, who added a romantic park and altered the interior.

In the 20th century, the departmental council of Haute-Marne acquired the site in 1978 and undertook its rehabilitation: restoration of the pavilion, restoration of a Renaissance garden, and enhancement of the romantic park. Ranked a historic monument since 1925 (pavillon) and 1991 (garden), the estate now houses a national collection of boxwood and offers annual cultural programming. Its architecture, combining Renaissance symmetry and subsequent transformations, makes it a rare testimony of 16th century pleasure castles.

The current gardens are divided into two parts: a Renaissance spirit garden recreated in the 1990s, with geometric, topiary and orchard beds, and a 19th century romantic park, planted with exotic essences and organized in winding walks. The site, open to the public, combines architectural, vegetal and historical heritage, offering 4.5 hectares of walk between topiary art and picturesque landscapes.

Among the remarkable elements, the chapel Saint-Claude retains a vault with caissons decorated with motifs of 1546, while two cariatides, remains of the tomb of Claude de Lorraine drawn by Le Primatice, are exhibited there. These sculptures, symbolizing the cardinal virtues, recall the fascist of the Guise. The castle, now departmental property, perpetuates its role as a place of culture and memory, between Renaissance heritage and contemporary adaptations.

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