Castle of Agnou
The castle of Agnou is located at Maule in the department of the Yvelines, with the locality of the End of Agnou. It is registered historic building.
Medieval time
As of the 12th century, a castle with keep, the Saint-Vincent castle, rose on the site of the castle of Agnou. It was coupled with long walls which surrounded totality of the borough of Maule. It nevertheless was dismantled on order of Louis VI the Large. In 1357, the city is ransacked by Charles the Bad one of Navarre, which destroys the building completely. The barons of Maule live downtown then, in houses built for this purpose. But the things will change at the 16th century.
History
Built in 1594, the Castle of Maule called “castle of Agnou” or “of Hagnon” or “Balagny”, emerged from the idea of Nicolas de Harlay sior of Sancy, then Baron de Maule and superintendent of finances of Henri IV, eager to be made build a residence appropriate to its row. Henri IV would have probably remained besides there between two huntings.
He made cleanse the marsh of the End of Agnou in order to begin the building work. Although only a wing of approximately 60 meters and pigeon reached us, the baron had projects much more ambitious. He wanted to build an immense flanked quadrilateral of four round towers. The heirs to the baron and his wife Marie Moreau will not be able to preserve the property of it. He will be sold in 1638 with Claude de Bullion, superintendent of finances and Minister of Justice.
To the Revolution, it will belong to the marquis de Boisse who will have to take the way of the exile. The revolutionists will mutilate the castle whose remainders will be sold in 1793 with Nicolas-François Fréret and finally recovered by the marquis of Boisse in 1812.
It belongs to the 19th century with the family of Maule Plainval then in 1876, with the family of Balagny.
Transformed into old people's home at the time of the First World War, occupied by the Wehrmacht at the time of the Second, it will be abandoned in the Années 1960. Saved by its new owners in the years 1970, it finds little by little its image of the 16th century. It is a private joint ownership today.
It was also used for during turning of the film Écoute seeing… in 1979 of Hugo Santiago with Catherine Deneuve.
Dovecote
The Colombier of the castle is a high cylindrical tower hones some which counts more: 3200 Putlog-hole S or niches, being able to accommodate more: 6000 Pigeon S. It is thus one of largest of Île-de-France and one of oldest of France. The privilege seigneurial of breeding of pigeons was abolished in 1790 and the dovecote was emptied definitively.
It shelters today Chouette S and a family of falcons kestrels.
Gardens
The vast gardens of the castle, opened with the public thanks to alleys and footbridges, included/understood inter alia a pot , a fish pond, a Serre, a basin and even an island and a cave artificial. They disappeared today.
Structure
The single wing of 60 meters, rebuilt partly at the 17th century, has a crowned regular frontage of high attic windows with triangular pediment. One will be able to observe groined vaults at the ground floor. One can also note a staircase hones some going down on the gardens.
Anecdotes
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Nicolas Harlay de Sancy, then ambassador of France, acquired in 1570, of a diamond found in India, the “Sancy”, of 55 carats, which is one of largest monde.
It was placed on the crowns of Louis XV in 1722 and of Louis XVI in 1775. It was used as jewels with Marie-Antoinette.
It is today with the shelter in the collections of the Musée of Louvre since 1979. One can admire it in the Galerie of Apollo, intended for the crown jewels.
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