Site du château de Beauté, demeure de Charles V et d'Agnès Sorel

Nogent-sur-Marne

Nothing remains of the château de Beauté-sur-Marne, and yet few places in the Île-de-France carry so much of the history of France. Charles V the Wise made this manor overlooking the Marne, on the edge of the Bois de Vincennes, his favourite retreat: he installed there one of his "libraries", sister to that of the Louvre which was to give birth to the Bibliothèque nationale. In January 1378 he received there his uncle the Emperor Charles IV, who declared he had never seen "a finer or more delightful place". It was at Beauté that the king died on 16 September 1380, in the arms of the sire de La Rivière, "whom he loved dearly". Two generations later, the château knew a second glory: around 1444–1448, Charles VII gave it to his favourite Agnès Sorel, the first "official" royal mistress in the history of France, who took from it her legendary title of "Dame de Beauté" (Lady of Beauty) — a play on words that the fair Agnès wore to perfection. There she bore the king a daughter before dying in 1450, aged 28, of mercury poisoning, confirmed by modern analysis of her remains, without settling whether it was murder or a fatal remedy. Neglected, the château fell into ruin and Richelieu ordered its demolition around 1626. Today, a plaque near the Pavillon Baltard marks the site of the residence where a king died and where the Dame de Beauté reigned.

Getting there : Avenue Watteau, near the Pavillon Baltard (12 avenue Victor-Hugo), on the banks of the Marne; RER A Nogent-sur-Marne or RER E Nogent-Le Perreux, then walk down to the Marne; riverside promenade.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound