Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château du Pré, located in Chartrettes in Seine-et-Marne, finds its origins on the substructions of a feudal mansion. A first castle would have been erected in the 15th century, although its exact date of construction remains uncertain. In 1510, the fief belonged to a squire of Louis XII, marking its anchor in the local aristocracy. In the 16th century, he passed into the hands of Dreux-Sayve, President of the Melunais judiciary and lieutenant general, and then welcomed the lawyer Étienne Pasquier. The estate also became a resort for Henry IV, attracted by Gabrielle d'Estrées.

In the 19th century, the castle was acquired by General Adrien Charles Salanson, then by his son Eugene, mayor of Chartrettes from 1901 to 1908. In 1992, it was purchased by Sōka Gakkai, a Japanese neo-Buddhist organization. This change in ownership created local tensions, the castle being seen as isolated from the community. The current activities are mainly managerial seminars, organized in a discrete setting.

Architecturally, the castle is located north of Chartrettes, at the entrance of the forest massif of the Massoury bush. Its history reflects a transition between aristocratic residence, family property and contemporary spiritual place. Historical sources, such as the works of Maurice Pignard-Péguet (1911) or Charles Rabourdin (1886), document his evolution from the Middle Ages to the present day.

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