Castle of Petit-Bourg

The castle of Petit-Bourg was with the Évry-on-Seine (the Essonne).

The first castle known on the site of Petit-Bourg, dominating the the Seine, for the Forest of Sénart, was started at the beginning of the 17th century for André Courtin, Chanoine of Notre-Dame de Paris and was completed towards 1635 for Jean Galland. Towards 1650, Mgr Louis Barber of the River († 1670), bishop of Langres, made it decorate gardens drawn by François Mansart. Jules Hardouin-Mansart would have worked towards 1662 there.

Towards 1695, Madam de Montespan acquired the castle of Petit-Bourg. She made there complete important alteration work and would have charged André Ours with drawing the gardens with the Frenchwomen, staged in terraces. She took refuge there after her disgrace.

With its death in 1707, his/her son the duke of Antin, inherited the castle and made remake the gardens. Between 1716 and 1722, it undertook to entirely make it rebuild by the architect Pierre Cailleteau says Lassurance. The new castle of Petit-Bourg was a truly princely residence, chief of work of Lassurance. The best decorators of time had worked there. One particularly noticed the cabinet in gallery of the apartment of the king (angle of the house of midday, on the floor) and the large living room, decorated by Louis-Claude Vassé with royal portraits and ducal emblems.

Before the rebuilding of the castle, the duke of Antin accepted in Petit-Bourg Louis XIV and, in 1717, the tsar Pierre Large the. After its rebuilding, Louis XV and the queen Marie Leszczyńska made frequent stays there. M {{me}} of Pompadour saw it its ground of Étiolles before being high by the royal favor, and dreamed on this splendid residence.

After the death of the duke of Antin, the castle remained, unfurnished, during several years. Acquired by Marie Jacomel, widow of Louis Chauvelin, President with mortar with the Parliament of Paris, it was entirely demolished in 1750 and was replaced by a new castle built starting from 1756 in the neo-classic taste , work of the architect Jean-Michel Chevotet.

At the time of the Revolution, the castle was the property of the duchess of Bourbon, born Bathilde of Orleans. After being last between several hands, it was acquired in 1827 by the banker Alexandre Aguado, marquis de Las Marismas, which accommodated his/her friend there, the type-setter Gioacchino Rossini and was made elect mayor of the Evry-on-Seine in 1831. The creation of the railroad from Paris to Corbeil unfortunately divided the park in two and separated it from the Seine. Alexandre Aguado sold his property on April 7th 1840 to speculators who undertook to divide the field.

The Germans occupied the castle during the Second world war, and set fire to it in 1944, at the time of their departure of Évry. The ruins were shaven. With the site of the castle the residence of the “Park of Petit-Bourg was built”. The alley bordered of chestnut trees and limes skirting the houses of the residence was the alley of honor of the castle.

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