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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The château de l'Hermitage, located in Condé-sur-l'Escaut in the forest of Bonsecours, was built between 1786 and 1789 by architect Jean-Baptiste Chaussard for Prince Anne Emmanuel de Croÿ. It replaced an earlier building from which the commons, erected between 1750 and 1770, remained, where in 1757 the act of creation of the Compagnie des Mines d'Anzin was signed. This unfinished castle at the Revolution presents a sober and majestic architecture, organized around a ballroom in rotunda.

The estate, owned by the family of Croÿ from 1748 to 1966 (excluding periods of receivership), hosted in 1878 the marriage of Princess Isabelle de Croÿ with Archduke Frédéric of Austria. Its park, mixing 18th century regular tracks and English parts, was restored between 1966 and 1980 after a long abandonment. The castle, its communes and its park have been listed as Historic Monuments since 1924 and 1928.

The interior is distinguished by mosaic parquet floors and bas-reliefs due to the sculptor Cadet de Beaupré. The park, noticed by the Prince of Ligne and Georges Louis Le Rouge, preserves eight radiant avenues in star. After its sale in 2001, the castle, still private, is open to the public and has benefited from a major rehabilitation.

The castle illustrates late neo-classical architecture, with a spatial organization centered on the ballroom, surrounded by sixteen Corinthian columns. The commons, witness to the previous building, recall the economic role of the Croÿ family, particularly in the regional mining industry. The estate also reflects the evolution of the gardens, from the French style to the Anglo-Chinese model in the late 18th century.

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