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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 Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Orleans and wife of the Regent. Acquisé in 1719, the estate was embellished with gardens redesigned by Claude Desgots, a small-nevew of André Le Nôtre, and enlarged with pavilions, including that of the Ermitage, built around 1720 by architect Serin. The pavilion, decorated with grey murals representing hermits, served as a seasonal pleasure in the 200-acre park.

Upon the death of the Duchess in 1749, the estate passed to its descendants before being fragmented and sold in 1769. The castle was demolished from 1771, but the Hermitage, surrounded by 11,600 m2 of land, survived. He successively became the property of the Baron of Batz – who organized political meetings there during the Revolution – and François Pomerel in 1820. In 1887, it was acquired by the Public Assistance and integrated into the Alquier-Debrousse Hospice, founded in 1884 on the site of the former castle.

The Hermitage Pavilion, classified as a Historic Monument in 1928 for its architecture and interior decorations (paintings by Jean Valade and neo-classical greyberries), is now the only vestige of the Château de Bagnolet. Restored in 1987, it has been open to the public since 2005 thanks to the Association of Friends of the Hermitage. His name comes from murals depicting hermits in meditation, of which three original works remain.

The historic estate extended over part of the 20th arrondissement, between the rue de Bagnolet and the rue des Orteaux – an old " avenue Madame" drawn by the Duchess to connect Paris to the castle. The gardens, described as sumptuous with fountains, labyrinth and gazebo, were powered by a complex hydraulic system including buried reservoirs and pipes. The site illustrates the aristocratic art of living under the Regency and reign of Louis XV.

The building was created in the late 19th century, and it perpetuates the memory of the estate by sheltering this pavilion. The modern buildings of the Hospice contrast with this 18th century vestige, recalling the urban transformation of eastern Paris after the annexation of Charonne to Paris in 1859. The Hermitage, with its 18th century wrought iron gate, remains a rare testimony of pleasure architecture under the Old Regime.

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