Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Villiers, located in Draveil, Île-de-France, is an emblematic building of the 4th quarter of the 16th and 18th centuries. Originally, a country house destroyed by fire was rebuilt in 1782 by the Count of Bombelles in a Louis XVI style. The estate, acquired in 1837 by the Pecoul family, originally from Martinique and owner of sugar cane plantations, underwent several architectural and landscape transformations. The park, originally built in French, was redesigned "in English" in the 19th century by botanist André Thouin, and then renovated in 1900 by Édouard André.

During the First Empire, the castle belonged to the prefect of the Yonne, Charles-Guillaume Gamot. In 1954, the Origny family handed him over to the Caisse des dépôts et consignations, which transferred him to the municipality of Draveil in 1987. Since 1991, the castle has housed a media library, while its park, classified in 1942, was partially loti in the 1960s to build 440 housing units. The facades, roofs and entrance pavilions were listed as historical monuments in 1949.

The architecture of the castle is distinguished by a central body framed by two pavilions of the Henri IV period, renovated in the 18th century. The eastern facade, decorated with a triangular pediment, contrasts with the western facade, decorated with an allegory of Ceres, goddess of agriculture. Behind the left wing, a courtyard surrounds the commons, an orangery and a pigeon tree. The park, once traversed by a stream and decorated with water, retains a body of water fed by a cave-shaped spring.

The estate was also the scene of cultural events, as an exhibition on meteorites in 2012, highlighting rare specimens, including Draveil's meteorite fallen in 2011. Two fragments of this meteorite, weighing 205.9 g and 87 g, were found in the commune. This exhibition was accompanied by presentations on astronomy, minerals and fossils, highlighting the castle's commitment to scientific diffusion.

The fief de Villiers, originally owned by the Abbey of Saint-Victor of Paris in the 12th century, was attached to the park of the seigneurial castle of Draveil in 1732 after its acquisition by the farmer general Marin of The Hague. The Tilleuls walkway, planted under Louis XIV, and the entrance pavilions, witness to the old home, recall the historical evolution of the site, marked by successive transformations and adaptation to contemporary needs.

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