Brolles Castle: A Neo-Louis XIII Residence in France
Site at a Glance
- Country
- France
- Primary era
- Modern
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- French
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Elite Residence
On this page5 sections
History
Brolles Castle is a nineteenth-century Neo-Louis XIII residence in France, established by Parisian stockbroker Abel Laurent in 1862 during the Second Empire, Napoleon III’s imperial regime from 1852 to 1870.
Brolles before the château
Brolles was once a hamlet dependent on Bois-le-Roi. Its name, also rendered as Brezolles, was understood to refer to a place planted with brushwood. An agreement dated 1222, concerning an exchange between the monks of Saint-Père and Philip II Augustus, king of France from 1180 to 1223, mentions donkeys and bundles of firewood at Brolles. The land then fell under the authority of Tappereau, whose lordly rights extended over the land and its inhabitants.
The hamlet had a Protestant place of worship attended by Swiss serving at the Château de Fontainebleau. A local legend placed a tunnel beneath the Seine at Brolles, but the idea was considered implausible given the digging methods available and the difficulty of such an undertaking. In time, artists and writers came to favor Brolles as a retreat, while country houses replaced simple thatched cottages.
Laurent’s residence and later ownership
Laurent established the château in 1862 at a cost of one million francs. In the 1890s, it was offered for sale for 200,000 francs and auctioned on June 12. The estate had meanwhile been sold to Millon d’Ailly de Verneuil, a representative of the stockbrokers’ profession. The Lebaudy family later leased the château, but the lease was cut short in 1899.
Medical use
During the 1960s, the château became a sanatorium, an institution providing extended medical care, for children. In 1979, it was converted into a children’s functional rehabilitation center, which provides care to restore or improve physical abilities. It continues in that role. In the 2000s, the children’s boarding unit was relocated to allow safety-compliance work at the center.
Remains
Brolles Castle is an imposing nineteenth-century residence designed in the Neo-Louis XIII style, a revival of French architectural forms associated with Louis XIII’s reign from 1610 to 1643. Its north and south façades are identified separately.
