Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Tronchet mansion, located in Chalo-Saint-Mars, Essonne, was mentioned in 1613 during the marriage of Gédéon des Mazis and Anne de Rochechouart. The estate, transmitted by covenant in 1688 to the family of Vigny, remained their property until 1810, before passing to the Pellegrain of Lestang. The present house, built between 1613 and 1623, preserves commons dating from the 15th or 16th centuries, while the dovecote, dated 1720, and a dwelling building added in 1780 complete the whole.

The manor house, of sober style with two square towers and a skylight roof, combines grinder, limestone and brick for its frames. Its facades and roofs, as well as the dovecote and the enclosure wall, have been listed as historical monuments since 27 August 1975. The estate also includes agricultural buildings and a dovecote covered with pink crepi, reflecting its architectural evolution between the 17th and 18th centuries.

The duchess Clemence and the writer Alfred de Vigny, whose families owned the place, were among the personalities associated with the mansion. In June 2025, a family drama broke out when one of the 84-year-old co-owners killed his 93-year-old sister, also a co-owner, with a shotgun. The site, now privately owned, retains a historical character marked by its original materials and wooded park.

Available sources, including Wikipedia and the Merimée base, highlight the heritage value of the mansion, while noting its varying conservation status. Its exact address, 5249 Le Tronchet Ham in Chalo-Saint-Mars, and its Insee code (91130) confirm its anchoring in the Essonne department, in the Île-de-France region.

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