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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château du Haut Rosay, located in the Mantois in Rosay (Yvelines), is a 17th and 18th century building, classified as a historical monument in 1992. Its origin dates back to the meeting of the seigneuries of the Lower and Upper Rosay in 1597 by John III Courtin, the State Councillor, who authorized in 1615 the construction of a castle according to plans inspired by Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau. The estate, lined with moats and bastions, was enlarged in the 17th century by Nicolas François Courtin, then transformed into a marquisat in 1671 for François Briçonnet, President of the Paris Parliament.

In the 18th century, the castle passed into the hands of René-Joachim de Chénedé, Marquis and valet of the court, who added a chapel (1719) and a dovecote (1721). Acquired in 1748 by the farmer general Charles Savalette, then in 1760 by Jacques-Louis de Bretignières, last Marquis de Rosay-Villette, the estate was redesigned by architect Denis Antoine, who built a picturesque garden with factories. Work continued until the early 19th century under Marie Charlotte de Bretignières, before its acquisition by a private family in 1896.

With a rectangular brick and stone plan, the castle is distinguished by its architectural simplicity and its classified park, including hydraulic facilities. The site, registered in 1946, illustrates the evolution of seigneurial residences in Île-de-France, from medieval wars to landscape transformations of the Enlightenment. The commons, outbuildings and moat, protected since 1992, bear witness to its heritage importance.

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