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Origin and history

The castle of Bagnolet, built in the early eighteenth century on the territories of Charonne (now integrated in Paris) and Bagnolet, was the favourite residence of the Duchess of Orleans, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon. Acquisé in 1719, it was embellished with gardens redesigned by Claude Desgots, grand-neveu d'André Le Nôtre, including fountains, labyrinths and a pleasure pavilion, the Hermitage, decorated with greyish murals depicting hermits.

The estate, with an area of 200 acres, covered part of the current 20th arrondissement. It was supplied with water by buried reservoirs and pipes, and connected to Paris by a driveway planted with trees, today the rue des Orteaux. The castle even housed a theatre where the Duke of Orleans played comedy in 1761. After the Duchess died in 1749, the estate was fragmented and sold in 1769, marking the beginning of its progressive demolition.

The Hermitage Pavilion, the only remaining vestige, was built around 1720 for the Duchess of Orleans. Unheated, it served as a place of summer relaxation, decorated with paintings by Jean Valade and redecorated in 1761 in a neo-classical style "to the Greek". After the Revolution, it belonged to private individuals, including the Baron of Batz, who used it as a political meeting place. In 1887, it was acquired by Public Assistance and integrated into the Alquier-Debrousse hospital, before being restored in 1987 and opened to the public in 2005.

The Debrousse Hospice, founded in 1884 on the site of the castle, today perpetuates the memory of the estate. The Hermitage Pavilion, classified as the latest Parisian insanity in Regency style, is accessible through the Association of Friends of Hermitage. His original murals, representing hermits like Saint Venert and Saint Azelle, bear witness to his fascinating past.

The castle of Bagnolet illustrates the influence of the house of Orleans under the Regency, with its French gardens and its role as a place of power and culture. Its demolition in the 18th century and the transformation of its lands into hospice in the 19th century reflect the urban changes of Paris, where the aristocracy gradually gave way to public institutions.

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