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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Maillebois, located in the Thymerais in Eure-et-Loir, finds its origins in the Middle Ages as a fortress controlling the passage between Île-de-France and Normandy. Fired by the English in 1425, it was rebuilt on its medieval foundations by the family of O in the 15th and 16th centuries. John d The castle then passed into the hands of Nicolas Harlay de Sancy, then the Camus de Jambville, who erected the estate as a marquisat in 1621.

In the 17th century, Nicolas Desmarets, Colbert's nephew and chief financial officer, acquired Maillebois and expanded considerably. It moves a whole suburb of Blévy to expand the park, incorporating rivers and radiant alleys. His son, the Marshal of Maillebois, closed the park and further embellished the castle. During the Revolution, the estate became a national property: requisitioned, inventoried, then sold in 1798 to François-Marie-Simon Pâris de Mainvilliers, who could not complete the purchase. The Duchess of Fitz-James, who returned from exile in 1801, purchased the castle before reselling it in 1807.

In the 19th century, the Viscount Charles-François Tardieu de Maleissye, royalist and former emigrant, partially restored the castle by demolishing two old towers and unifying the facades. He left the estate to his son in 1848. In 1880 Lionel-Henri Latham, heir to a dynasty of Protestant traders, acquired Maillebois and modernized the stables (1882), using local materials (silex, polychrome bricks, marble). His grandson, Lionel Armand-Delille, still lives in the castle in the 20th century. The park, communes and stables, classified as historical monuments between 1941 and 2000, bear witness to this turbulent history.

The architecture of the castle combines medieval, Renaissance and classical styles. The south facade, decorated with geometric patterns in varnished bricks, contrasts with the sobriety of the north facade. The communes, built by Desmarets, frame a forecourt where remains traces of pigeons and dependencies of origin. The park, designed in the 17th century, preserves its historical aisles (such as the "foot of the goose") and its landscaped elements (river, cooler, haha). Inside, Louis XV woodwork, tapestries of the Perseus wedding (floured in 1984) and objects inherited from successive owners decorated the rooms.

The Château de Maillebois was also used as a setting for cultural events, such as the Art and Clochers exhibition in 2024 or the filming of the show Le Meilleur Pâtissier (M6) in 2016. Today, the estate remains the property of the Armand-Delille family, descendant of the Latham, and partially visits, highlighting its preserved architectural and landscape heritage.

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