Miraville Manor: A Renaissance Revival Manor in Sarcelles, France
Site at a Glance
- Country
- France
- Primary era
- Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- French
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Elite Residence
On this page7 sections
History
The Earlier Castle and the Manor
Miraville Manor is a Renaissance Revival residence in Sarcelles, France, completed in 1885. Renaissance Revival was a 19th-century style that reused forms and decorative features associated with Renaissance architecture. The manor stands on the site of Richebourg Castle, burned in 1567 by Huguenots, French Protestants associated with the Reformed tradition. Lace merchant Frédéric Aylé commissioned the manor, designed by French architect Paul Boeswillwald.
Hotel and Municipal Use
In 1942, Aylé’s son, Frédéric-Henri, sold the manor to hotelier René Massiaux, who converted it into a hotel. It remained a hotel until Sarcelles’s town council acquired the building and Miraville Park in 1964. By the early 1960s, the town’s population had grown substantially, largely as French people returned from Algeria. As its older rural community and newer urban community became distinct, the municipality established annexes in new housing estates and sought a larger building to serve both. The manor was adapted for municipal functions, including a council chamber and a room for weddings. In 2011, it received France’s historic monument designation, a form of heritage protection for historic buildings and sites.
Remains
The manor stands within the large estate known as Miraville Park. Its brick construction incorporates decorative timber framing, and the principal facade faces west toward the park.
Building and Park Features
The Manor
The facade is symmetrical and arranged in three sections. Its central section projects slightly, with a covered carriage entrance supporting a balcony. Above it, a three-part first-floor window is framed by flat, wall-attached columns that support a projecting horizontal molding; a timber-framed gable crowns the center. The outer sections have double French doors at ground level, side-hinged windows on the first floor and windows projecting from the roof at attic level. Inside, the manor has a grand staircase. Some windows were originally decorated with stained glass dating to the 16th century.
Memorial Plaque
A plaque in Miraville Park was installed after the Second World War to commemorate local people who died while serving in the French Forces of the Interior, resistance forces active in France during the war.
