Château de Farcheville

Bouville

Built in 1291 for Hugues II de Bouville, chamberlain to King Philip the Fair, the château de Farcheville is one of the rare surviving examples in Île-de-France of a lowland fortress on a closed quadrangular plan, with its chapel mentioned as early as 1321. In 1407, the estate passed to the Châtillon-sur-Loing branch of the house of Coligny, a family that embraced the Protestant Reformation: the château was pillaged and ransacked three times between 1567 and 1576 during the Wars of Religion, before being restored between 1578 and 1604. Bought in 1637 by Maximilien Jappin, councillor to the king, then in 1741 by Vincent Michel Maynon, president of the Parlement of Paris, the building saw its enclosure and battlements partly demolished under the Revolution. A coach house was built in 1858 by the architect Alphonse Adam, then a major campaign restored the enclosure, battlements and wall-walk between 1899 and 1901. Registered and then listed as a monument historique in 1947–1948, the château underwent further restoration in the 1980s. It remains today a rare witness to the lowland military architecture of the reign of Philip the Fair.

Getting there : Commune of Bouville, 47 km south of Paris; private property, now a reception venue, exterior visit possible, car park on site

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

Ambient sound