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Origin and history

La Folie Saint-James is a luxurious residence built in 1777 in Neuilly-sur-Seine by architect François-Joseph Bélanger for Claude Baudard de Vaudésir, Baron of Sainte-James and Comptroller General of the Marine under Louis XV. The latter, wishing to compete with the insanity of the Count of Artois (later Charles X) in the nearby Bois de Boulogne, entrusted to Bélanger the creation of a sumptuous estate, including a master house transformed into commons and a 12-hectare park decorated with factories, waterfalls and water pieces, inspired by Anglo-Chinese gardens.

The park, designed with the help of landscaper Jean-Baptiste Chaussard, housed spectacular elements such as the Grand Rocher, a monumental 43-metre-long building with baths and water games, as well as an artificial river fed by the Seine. The exorbitant cost of the work (up to £14 million depending on the sources) led to the Baron's bankruptcy in 1787. During the Revolution, the property was vandalized by the Black Band, then sold at auction in 1793 to the Duke of Choiseul-Praslin for 262,000 pounds.

In the 19th century, the estate was fragmented and partially loti. In 1844, Dr Casimir Pinel set up a health home in which Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec stayed in 1899. In the 20th century, Folia was classified as a historical monument (1922), and acquired by the State in 1952. Part of the park was transformed into a high school in the 1950s, while the remaining factories, such as the Grand Rocher and the Pavillon de Musique (former cabinet of natural history), were partially restored. Since 2009, the site has been owned by the Hauts-de-Seine department council.

The architecture of the Folia combines neoclassicism and rock exuberance, with brick and stone facades, carved medallions, and an interior richly decorated with stucco, woodwork and trompe-l'oeil frescoes. The park, reduced to 1.8 hectares, preserves some emblematic factories, including the temple of Love added in the 1920s by the owners Lebel. Despite the degradations suffered during the German and American occupations (1944-1947), the site remains an exceptional testimony of the 18th century aristocratic "insanities".

The restorations, scheduled for 2014 and then postponed to 2015, aim to restore their radiance to fountains, waterfalls and interior decors. The Pavilion of Music, classified separately in 1922, houses a dome decorated with ancient stuccos and a zenithal glassware, but its access remains limited. The descriptions of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun and Thomas Blaikie, contemporaries of the Baron, underline the opulence and audacity of the project, a symbol of a golden age where Parisian aristocracy competed with fascists in the suburbs of the capital.

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