CastleYerres (91)

18 km from the gates of Paris, a Louis XIII 'brick and stone' chateau in the heart of 60 hectares of gardens, park and woodlands. Due east, the entrance to the property faces the sunrise, down a straight 2 km driveway that inevitably draws the eye towards the chateau.
In 1389-1390, the estate was mentioned for the first time as a plot of land cleared for a religious community. Around 1581, the farm was fortified, and yet the construction of the present chateau began as soon as 1617. The patron, a prominent administrator of the French kingdom in the 17th century, was a lover of court ballets, a penchant that was taken up by the Marshal of Saxony during his construction work in the mid-18th century.
Facing east, framed by two square lodges, the large gate crowned with floral scrolls opens onto the formal 'Allée d'Honneur” (alley of honour), lined with lawned beds. Two parallel foliage belts, formerly bridle paths, lead to the heart of the estate. The French formal gardens, designed in the classical style, have left their discreet mark to the north. At the front, the majestic gardens provide a vanishing point perspective as you pass through the gates: everything leads to the chateau. The aristocracy was both a generator and a follower of fashions: reflecting the intellectual struggles of the 19th century, the romantic style replaced the classical. Thus, to the west, the French formal design of the grounds was transformed into an English-style landscaped park with a pond and irregular groves over a stretch of about 800 m. Finally, to the south, a rectangular grass parterre is dotted with trees along its sides, and a dressed stone barn stands in the north-east corner.
Once past the two animal sculptures bordering the Allée d'Honneur, the gates with their forged scrollwork over the fixed bridge above the moat open onto the paved “Cour d'Honneur” (courtyard of honour). Dating back to the 17th century, the chateau comprises a U-shaped main edifice on three levels built around the forecourt, with two lower wings on either side. 'Of brick and stone', it features striking colours typical of the Louis XIII period. Its large bays let the light shine through from one side to the other, from the rising sun on the French-style Allée d’Honneur to the setting sun on the romantic English-style park.
Surrounding the earth platform, the moat with its 16th century scarps and counterscarps, which can be crossed by three fixed bridges - at the front, at the back and to the north, in the direction of the outbuildings - is bordered by the traditional false palisades. They are fed by a stream which subsequently runs underneath the park. There is no doubt that their preservation played a significant symbolic role for the cultured aristocracy of the time. The moat is a reminder of the inherent military function of the nobility, but also of their sophisticated mind. Today in part filled with water, the moat played in medieval and early modern literature the role of a border between the real and the fairy world. A grotto decorated with shells and “rustiques” (rusticware inspired by Bernard Palissy) accessed by a double flight of stairs at right angles, was built in 1635 in the southern moat, below the Cour d’Honneur.
To the immediate north of the chateau, on the other side of the moat, the outbuildings are H-shaped, with lodges - formerly a cheese dairy and chapel - abutting the corners of the chateau. The fixed bridge leads from the Cour d'Honneur to the centre of the complex of outbuildings. They are laid out around a gravel courtyard. To the east is the former caretaker's cottage.
Combined, the chateau and the outbuildings offer roughly 2,860 m² of floor space including 42 bedrooms. Some 15 additional rooms could also be fitted out. Finally, the 60 hectares are enclosed by walls 3 m high, with 10 gates and 5 sunken fences or ha-ha.