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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Divers
  3. Pays-de-la-Loire
  4. Loire-Atlantique
  5. 44850 au Cellier

  6. Property called Folies Siffait

Property called Folies Siffait en Loire-Atlantique

Property called Folies Siffait


    44850 au Cellier
State property; private property
Museums of France
Miscellaneous
Propriété dite les Folies Siffait
Propriété dite les Folies Siffait
Propriété dite les Folies Siffait
Propriété dite les Folies Siffait
Propriété dite les Folies Siffait
Propriété dite les Folies Siffait
Propriété dite les Folies Siffait
Propriété dite les Folies Siffait
Propriété dite les Folies Siffait
Propriété dite les Folies Siffait
Propriété dite les Folies Siffait
Propriété dite les Folies Siffait
Crédit photo : Damien T - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1800
1900
2000
1816-1830
Establishment of the park
1840
Railway impact
1838-1847
Oswald Siffait transformations
1942
Site inventory classification
22 juillet 1992
Registration for Historic Monuments
2007
Acquisition by the department
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Property called Folies Siffait (cad. D 1490, 1952, 1613): entry by order of 25 February 1992, as amended by order of 22 July 1992

Key figures

Maximilien Siffait (1780-1861) - Creator of the Park and Mayor of the Cellier Amateur architect, inspired the Folies after 1815.
Oswald Siffait (1813-1877) - Botanist and Mayor of the Cellier Enriches the site with exotic plants and decorations.
Jean-Gabriel Bouchaud - Local historian Studyed the construction stages of the park.
Julien Gracq (1910-2007) - Writer Famous site in *Carnets du grand chemin*.
Philippe des Jamonières - Mayor of Cellier (1980s) Descending from the Siffait, impel the restoration.

Origin and history

The Folies Siffait is a landscape park set up between 1816 and 1830 by Maximilien Siffait (1780-1861), a former receiver of customs and amateur architect, on the estate of Gérardière au Cellier, near Nantes. This romantic project, inspired by the landscapes of the Loire, consists of terraces, false ruins, stairs and gazebos in slate schist, organized in a picturesque maze. Maximilian, mayor of the Cellier from 1822 to 1830, expressed his mourning after the death of his wife in 1819 and his daughter in 1830, then ceasing the work.

His son Oswald (1813-1877), botanist and mayor of the Cellier from 1841 to 1847, continued the development by adding exotic elements (pagodes, kiosks) and lush vegetation (cedars, araucarias). The site, nicknamed "Folies" for its eclectic appearance, suffered degradation with the arrival of the railway in the 1840s, then a century of abandonment. Invasive vegetation and 1944 bombs accelerated its deterioration.

Ranked in the inventory of sites in 1942 and listed in the Historical Monuments in 1992, the estate was bought by the commune of Cellier in 1986, then by the Loire-Atlantique department in 2007. A careful restoration, started in 1992, revives the terraces and decors, while preserving the romantic spirit of the place. Today, the Folies Siffait are only visited by reservation, with a public closure planned for 2024, replaced by a virtual tour.

The site illustrates the evolution of the picturesque 19th century gardens, combining illusionist and botanical architecture. Critiqued in the 19th century for their chaotic aesthetics, the Folies are now recognized as a unique testimony of landscaped romanticism, celebrated by authors like Julien Gracq for their integration into the Ligerian landscape.

Their history also reflects local tensions, such as the conflict between Maximilien Siffait and Baron Juchault des Jamonières, or the impact of modernity (railway) on the Loire riverfront properties. The recent restoration has helped stabilize the structures, while documenting the shale construction techniques and plant choices of Oswald Siffait, president of the Nantes Horticulture Society.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum