Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Courances came into being in 1552, when Como Clausse, notary and secretary of the King, acquired a seigneurial residence in this domain of the French Gâtinais. When he died in 1558, the property passed to his son Pierre, then to his grandson François, who in 1622 gave it to Claude Gallard, also notary and royal secretary. It is probably the latter who built the present castle in the form of "H", surrounded by moat, attested by engravings of Israel Henriet and Israel Silvestre around 1650. The park, started in the 16th century by the Clausse, is completed by the Gallards with canals, basins and a great axial perspective.

In the 18th century, the castle was modernized by Anne-Catherine Gallard, widow of Nicolas Potier de Novion, who opened the courtyard of honour by removing the wall and the entrance porch. His granddaughter, Léontine-Philippine de Novion, and her husband Aymar de Nicolay, president of the Chambre des comptes de Paris, undertook major changes between 1775 and 1777: opening new bays, adding monumental frontons, and refurbishing the facades. The estate then moved to their son Theodore de Nicolai, a French pair, before being abandoned after the Revolution of 1830.

In 1872, the castle was bought by Berlin banker Samuel de Haber, who entrusted his restoration to the architect Hippolyte Destailler. The latter, between 1873 and 1884, gave the castle a Louis XIII style by removing the crepi to reveal the brick, raising the attic, and adding zinc ornaments. He also built a new wing for master apartments, connected by a gallery to the old wing, and redesigned the park in English. However, a fire destroyed the communes in 1976. In the 20th century, the Marquise Jean de Ganay, granddaughter of Samuel de Haber, restored a French-style garden drawing with the help of Achille Duchêne, creating in particular the horse iron basin and the fountain of Arethuse, surmounted by a statue of Claude Poirier (1711).

During the First World War, the castle houses an 80-bed auxiliary hospital for military casualties (HASSBM No. 21). Ranked a historic monument since June 27, 1983, the estate includes the park with its water parts, moats, and an old mill. The park, labeled "remarkable garden", now combines French, English and Japanese influences, reflecting its many transformations.

The Château de Courances was also used as a setting for several film and television productions. In 1962, Henri Decoin toured Le Masque de Fer to represent Mazarin's residence. More recently, he appeared in Molière (2007) by Laurent Tirard, the series Nicolas Le Floch (2015), Le Sens de la fête (2016), and the episode 4 of Part 3 of Lupin (2023) on Netflix, where he played the castle of Thoiry. These films highlight its architectural and landscape appeal, perceived as one of the most beautiful heritage ensembles in Île-de-France.

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