The Château du Champ-de-Bataille, is a château located in the Eure department of the French region of Upper Normandy. It's a Baroque château lying between the communes of Neubourg and Sainte-Opportune-du-Bosc, and in the Campagne du Neubourg, between the river Risle to the west and the river Iton to the east. It was built in the 17th century for the Maréchal de Créqui.
History
In 1650 Alexandre de Créquy-Bernieulle (1628–1703) was arrested and exiled to the provinces by Cardinal Mazarin. He built the Château du Champ-de-Bataille between 1653 and 1665. After the arrest the château was the home of the "de Merendonque" family. During the French Revolution, the château was stormed and the furniture was sold throughout France.
It was the seat of the Dukes d'Harcourt (of the House of Harcourt) until the 11th Duke sold it in 1983. The Harcourt family bought it in 1754, they were forced to sell it after the French Revolution but they re-bought the Château later.
The Gardens
The French formal garden was created from 1992 by a new owner, interior designer Jacques Garcia. It was inspired by sketches of the original garden, long vanished, which showed the placement of the great terrace, the broderies and bosquets, and the proportions of the squares of Apollo and Diana. These features were scrupulously reproduced, while the new features of the garden took their "measure and tone" from the original model. The garden is listed by the French Ministry of Culture as one of the Notable Gardens of France.
References
- Malettke, Klaus (1976). Opposition und Konspiration unter Ludwig XIV. Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht. p. 1998. ISBN 978-3-525-35359-2. (german)
- Philippe Aubry, ed. (2008). Châteaux de Normandie. Maisons Normandes Hors-Série. Vol. 2. VIP International. pp. 60–75. (french)
- Ravaisson, Frantios (2008). Archives de la Bastille (in French). BiblioBazaar. pp. 411+428. ISBN 978-0-559-86512-1.
- See the description of the garden on the site of the Committee of Parks and Gardens of the Ministry of Culture of France
External links
- Château du Champ de Bataille (French)
- Château du Champ de Bataille at the Committee of Parks and Gardens of the French Ministry of Culture
- Château du Champ-de-Bataille blog article in French with many photos, including aerial views of the grounds
- Château du Champ-de-Bataille YouTube video by Erik Conover touring the property
49°10′6″N 0°51′33″E / 49.16833°N 0.85917°E / 49.16833; 0.85917
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