Seine-et-marne : homes of princes, kings and emperors

From the royal charter of 1137 to the decline of the Second Empire in 1870, the Palace of Fontainebleau saw the lives of the greatest French sovereigns : François Ier, Henri IV, Louis XIII, Louis XV, Louis XVI, Napoléon Ier, Louis-Philippe, Napoléon III.

This castle is the masterpiece of three highly talented artists, brought together by the genius Nicolas Fouquet.

Louis Le Vau was the architect, Charles Le Brun the decorator and André Le Nôtre the garden designer.

In the main rooms, the decorations by Charles Le Brun may be seen, as the furnitures brought back by the Sommier family.

The destiny of Nicolas Fouquet and the following owners are described during the tour.
Those who enjoy panoramic views should not miss the visit to the Dôme, from where all the gardens can be seen.

The fashionable hunting parties of the Ferrières Domain, the comfort, luxury, and the wealth of the Rothschild collections, dazzled high society for a century.

The building is a Second Empire interpretation of Italian Renaissance architecture, with balusters and colonnades running across the facade, which opens to wondrful English gardens. A monumental double staircase leads to the central hall which takes up two floors and receive light from a central skylight.
From the hall, there is an extraordinary Louis XVI salon with a ceiling in Boucher style and pinky white woodworks, a tribute to Eugène Lami’s talent.

The view from the terrace includes the lake and most of the park.

The first baronial residence was built in the 13th century, as a simple manor with an irregular surrounding wall.
Later fortification works were done, particularly the three towers which were added to the fortified entrance tower. A large residential building was built inside these fortifications.

At the 14th century, Blandy became an example of strenghtened castle.

The parish ensemble of Donnemarie-Dontilly is one of the well preserved in the Ile de France region.

• The church of Notre Dame dates from the thirteenth century.
• The cloister from the church to the chapel dates from the fifteenth century.
• In the middle, the former churchyard has been turned into a medieval garden on the theme “life and death”.
• The oak and chestnut balustrade, a replica from a miniature of the period, forms the enclosure of the “closed garden” where angelica and lilies grow. The plants, which were commonly used in the Middle Ages, bring back forgotten scents.