Origin and history
Bellevue Castle, also known as Bellevue Royal Castle, was built in the middle of the eighteenth century in Meudon (Hautes-de-Seine) for Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV's favourite. Located on a plateau overlooking the Seine, it offered an exceptional panorama. Built between 1748 and 1750 by the architect Jean Cailleteau (known as Laassurance), assisted by Jean-Charles Garnier for the gardens, the estate cost 2.5 million pounds, a colossal sum for the period. Louis XV, fascinated by the project, supervised the work himself and dined regularly during the construction site. The castle, of rock style, became a symbol of the artistic refinement of the period, with interior decorations signed by masters such as Boucher, Van Loo and Falconet.
In 1757 Madame de Pompadour sold Bellevue to Louis XV for 325,000 pounds. The king made interior changes by Angel-Jacques Gabriel, adding wings and enriching the decorations with works by Caffieri, Rousseau and Fragonard. Bellevue became one of his favourite residences, alongside Choisy and Saint-Hubert. When Louis XV died in 1774, the castle was attributed to his daughters, Madame Adelaide, Sophie and Victoire, who introduced a neo-classical style and enlarged the gardens, adding a picturesque hamlet inspired by Trianon.
The French Revolution marked the decline of the estate. Ladies left Bellevue in 1791 to emigrate to Italy, leaving much of the furniture. In 1794, the National Convention decided to retain the estate for the people, but it was finally transformed into a barracks and then sold to a private individual, Mr. Testu-Brissy, who had a large part of the castle demolished. In the 19th century, the site was loti, and bourgeois houses replaced gardens and buildings. Today, only a few elements remain, such as the cooler, the central terrace, the music pavilion and remnants of the English gardens, all classified as historical monuments.
Bellevue Castle was distinguished by its innovative architecture, combining intimacy and grandeur. Of a square and modest plan for a royal residence, it was conceived as a pleasure home, with sumptuous interior decorations reflecting the taste of Madame de Pompadour and Louis XV. The gardens, designed by Garnier d'Isle, combined classical symmetry with picturesque landscapes, with factories and a hamlet added by Ladies. The domain illustrates the evolution of artistic styles, from rock to neo-classicism, and reflects the influence of royal favourites on French architectural heritage.
Among the artists who contributed to Bellevue were François Boucher, who decorated several pieces, including Madame de Pompadour's boudoir with Chinese scenes, and Carle Van Loo, author of paintings for the company show. The exterior sculptures, like those of Guillaume Coustou and Pigalle, adorned the gardens, while the woodwork and carpentry, made by Jacques Verberckt, reflected exceptional craftsmanship. The theatre "to the Chinese", the baths and the menagerie completed this ensemble, making Bellevue a place of entertainment and representation of the royal power.
The progressive destruction of the castle, from the beginning of the 19th century, erased much of this heritage. The estate in 1823, led by Guillaume, transformed the former royal lands into a residential area. Bellevue station, built later, recalls the location of the old castle. Despite these losses, the protected remains, such as the artificial cave or the pavilion of the Guards, still make it possible to imagine the former splendor of this place, symbol of the art of living in the court of Louis XV and of the architectural heritage of the Enlightenment.
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