One of the provinces closest to Paris, Picardie, is called “the land of castles” for a reason. In terms of their variety and architectural elegance, Picardie is quite comparable to the Loire Valley.
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The most impressive of them is the Château de Chantilly. When you drive up to it, it takes your breath away with a beauty that is hard to even imagine! Surrounded by moats and fountains, the castle is like a pearl in a setting of greenery….
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Castles appeared on this place already in the XII century. In the XVI century the old feudal fortress was bought and rebuilt by the Duc de Montmorency (the Connetable, i.e. the supreme commander of the French kings). This architectural ensemble becomes one of the pearls of the French Renaissance. Since Montmorency himself served under seven kings, and his children were brought up together with the hereditary princes, it is not surprising that many events, stories and names are connected with this castle.
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For example, the love story between 54-year-old Henry IV and fifteen-year-old Charlotte de Montmorency. Wishing to observe decency, the king marries the girl to the third prince of Condé. However, the obedient groom suddenly becomes a stroppy husband and takes the young wife to Belgium, where they are protected by the patronage of the King of Spain. This causes so much anger in the king that he even considers starting hostilities, but soon dies, killed by Ravagliak. The son of the stroppy suitor and Charlotte grows up to be a famous general. The Great Condé wins all the battles for France and secures her first place in European politics. His court rivals Versailles in its splendor, patronage, elegance. Among the prince’s intimates are Boileau, Racine, Lafontaine, Madame de Savigny, Molière. Here will be the first performance of “Tartuffe”. Grand Condé commissions Le Nôtre to lay out one of the first regular parks in France. It is the fountains of Chantilly that Louis XIV will take as a model when building Versailles.
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Continuing the traditions of his father, the son of the Great Condé built in the XVIII century. stables, which were unrivaled by the French king. Today they are still the most famous stables in France. Here, in addition to the hippodrome, there is a palace-museum and a manege-stage for unique performances, where the main actors are horses. Have you seen how, for example, a girl and a horse dance?
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When the last of the Bourbon heirs was killed by Napoleon’s order, his father, already an elderly man, bequeathed Chantilly to Duke Amal, his grandnephew and godson. It was the Duke who created the collection of paintings and antiquities, considered in France second in importance after the Louvre…
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In the castle, restored by Duke Amal, visitors are welcomed by antique statuettes of V-VI centuries BC, paintings by Raphael, unique cameos, a stunning collection of portraits of kings and queens of France, jewelry, famous medieval books, a unique library of the Duke, a chapel with the burial of Condé, unforgettable apartments and unique interiors …
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By the way, in Chantilly for the first time appeared whipped cream, which is so called in France – Chantilly cream…
