Château of Bussy-Rabutin

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History Visit Roger de Rabutin Interior décor Information History Visit Roger de Rabutin Interior décor Information History Visit Roger de Rabutin Interior décor Information History Visit Roger de Rabutin Interior décor Information ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ English Glossary Roger de Bussy-Rabutin An interior décor inspired by resentment Château of Basket-handle: a lowered semi-circular vault. A great warrior A brief account of ancient

Damask: a single-colour fabric with a matt pattern mai 2010. Stipa, and modern history Bussy-Rabutin on a satin background, obtained by weaving. Born in 1618 at Épiry, near Autun, Roger

Entablature: crowns the top part of a monument, impression de Rabutin, Count of Bussy studied with the Roger de Rabutin kept himself busy during his consisting of, from bottom to top, an architrave, Jesuits* at the college of Autun and then at that exile on his land in Burgundy by renovating the Witness to the spirit of the Grand Siècle a frieze and a cornice. of Clermont in Paris. At 16 years old, he inside of the château. The some three hundred Fronde (the) (1648-1653): an uprising of nobles commanded a regiment during his first military portraits that he assembled are testimony to his From medieval residence against the French monarchy before Louis XIV et cætera. Caractères campaign. At the age of 23, he was imprisoned interest in French history as well as royal and to Renaissance château came of age. for 5 months for having allowed his regiment to family genealogy. He ordered copies made either Jesuit: member of the Society of Jesus, order traduction engage in salt trafficking. In 1645, he succeeded from original paintings, or from collections of This 14th-century former manor had several founded by Ignace de Loyola in 1534. owners that came from important families in

beau fixe. his father as general lieutenant of the king’s carvings in circulation at the time. Putto (plural Putti): cherub representing Love in armies. He took part in the Fronde* and then The paintings were fixed on wood panelling, Burgundy: the Chastillon family followed by the Italian paintings. Rocheforts. After this, in

réalisation won over Louis XIV and was named colonel which provided better insulation against the general of the light cavalry in 1653. cold and humidity. 1602, François de Rabutin Practical information For the cabinet in the gilded tower, his lady bought the Bussy barony The château and named it after his family Plein Sens, Anders. Plein Sens, A witty writer friends answered his call by sending him a copy in the early Average length of visit: 1 hour. of their portrait. 19th century name. His grandson, Roger Tours given in French. In 1654, imitating the Carte du Tendre written de Bussy-Rabutin, forced into exile by Louis Tours are suitable for disabled visitors. by his friend Mademoiselle de Scudéry, he wrote Between love and vengeance XIV in 1666, had a unique interior décor done in the château renovated by his parents. (ground floor) conception graphique Carte du pays de Bracquerie, wherein he mocked the romantic adventures of the court. During the 17th century, the Jesuits* contribu- The Centre des monuments nationaux publishes a collection His couplets about the king’s love affair with ted to the development of the didactic use of A series of renovations of guidebooks about French monuments translated into several languages. Éditions du patrimoine publications are on sale Marie Mancini resulted in a first period of exile images. Roger de Rabutin seems to have been in the bookshop-giftshop. of a few months. In 1660, in his satirical novel inspired by the collection of father Pierre Purchased in 1733 by Étienne Dagonneau de

Centre des monuments nationaux Histoire amoureuse des Gaules, he recounted Le Moyne, known as De l’art des devises. Marcilly and his wife, the estate was then Château de Bussy-Rabutin the romantic stories of the court, disguising the These inscriptions, mythological scenes and renovated. In 1792, the château was sequestered 21150 Bussy-le-Grand and its furniture sold. With several changes in tél. 03 80 96 00 03 real names of the characters. Only his closest mottos convey the knowledge of Roger fax 03 80 96 09 46 friends were allowed to read the novel. de Rabutin, which was nourished by his regular ownership, the condition of the château [email protected] But in 1662, the marquise de Montglas, against correspondence with his cousin, the Marquise deteriorated, but it was consolidated by the

www.monuments-nationaux.fr Bussy’s will, lent the novel to Madame de de Sévigné and his religious and socialite friends. mayor of the village between 1820 and 1832. La Baume, who had it printed in Holland and Through these humorous mottos, he told of Count Jean-Baptiste de Sarcus bought the estate handed out around the court. A sequel, aimed the nostalgia of a man banished from the court in 1835. He brought the château back to life and at the king’s entourage, left Bussy, who claimed and kept away from King Louis XIV, and had it listed as a historical monument in 1862. not to be the author, in disgrace. Imprisoned on the resentment of a lover disappointed by It was in 1929 that the State became the owner © Ministère de la Culture – Médiathèque du patrimoine, dist. RMN / Auguste Dormeuil. Auguste Dormeuil. RMN / dist. – Médiathèque du patrimoine, de la Culture © Ministère 17 April 1665 and released in 1666, Bussy was the marquise de Montglas. and began restoration and conservation work. condemned to exile. crédits photos

*Explanations overleaf. *Explanations overleaf. 15C-bussy EN_bussy 26/04/10 15:18 Page5

History Visit Roger de Rabutin Interior décor Information ▲

The great courtyard 5 15 16 A Reception

1 The great courtyard is laid out in a U-shape, 2 bounded by four round towers and surrounded by A moats. The original residence was reinforced, and the surrounding wall that enclosed the courtyard 11 at the bridge level was demolished during 14 1 11 the 16th century. 1 2 The galleries that make up the château’s wings 8 were built around 1520 in the Renaissance style. 4 6 Their basket-handle* arcades and entablatures* N N feature decorative rinceaux, grotesques, putti* and 13 N coats of arms. 2 7 9 3 The chapel, laid out in a square shape, can be 3 10 found in the south-west tower. The fine ribs that 8 Ground floor First floor The gardens support the arch, with flamboyant, gothic lines, finish on a thin ribbed column in each angle. A reredos, a decoration found behind the altar, 7 Bussy’s bedroom, which had been divided into The apartment of the Count de Sarcus 13 The maze was created during the most recent illustrates the resurrection of Lazarus. three rooms before 1835, was reorganised by the restoration, in 1993. 4 The Hall of Mottos features a portrait of Roger Count de Sarcus and furnished with 19th-century The right wing of the château was reorganised 14 The classical parterre, on the north terrace, is de Rabutin, associated with the family coat of furniture. Portraits of mistresses of French kings during the 20th century. divided into 8 square lawns bounded by box trees. arms, on the fireplace mantelpiece. Displayed and ladies of the court can be found here. 11 The antechamber, covered by a French-style Old rose bushes and shrubby peonies are planted all around are the mottos that he adapted to his A triptych groups together the second wife of ceiling and decorated with damask* wallpaper in here along with hardy perennials. personal history as an exiled courtier and unhappy Bussy, Louise de Rouville, Madame de Sévigné, alternating red and gold strips, is furnished with The exedras serve as resting areas embellished by lover. The eighteen buildings, such as the châteaux, and her daughter, Madame de Grignan. seats from the Régence period and with two pear arbours. To the east, a fountain gushes out water the Invalides hospital and the Observatory are 8 In the cabinet of the gilded tower, inspired by tree cabinets, stained black to resemble ebony. into a semi-circular basin dominated by a niche sometimes represented in fanciful fashion. the former Salon des Dames in Versailles, portraits Among the portraits, a noteworthy one is that of housing a nymph. The water is then directed Some were added after Bussy’s time. sent by Bussy’s lady friends, the “beautiful ladies Buffon in his study. The following rooms can be through a channel to the central basin. 5 The former kitchens bear witness to the of the court” can be found. Bussy amused himself visited upon request. 15 The large basin collects the water from the moats Renaissance period with sculpted additions that by adding a caustic comment beneath each one. and the central basin via a system of three also appear in the scullery. This collection is completed with 17th-century The estate waterfalls over rocks. royal and princely representations. 16 The service quarters are composed of several The Bussy apartment 9 The kings’ gallery displays the Rabutin family The estate covers 34 hectares. The gardens spread buildings running alongside the walls of the estate: on one side and kings of France on the other, out over 12 hectares and complement the château the dovecote, a sign of lordly privileges, farm 6 The Hall of the Great Warriors features 65 from Hugh Capet to Charles X. In the 19th perfectly. buildings and a footbath for horses. portraits of French and foreign key military century, Sarcus put in place a series of portraits 12 The front courtyard is made up of paths in the figures, chosen by Bussy, and which go from of statesmen and men of letters. shape of a crow’s foot, as at Versailles. The main Bertrand du Guesclin to Bussy himself. The dark 10 The platform and oratory, overlooking path is lined with lime trees. A grove of star- colour of the paintings contrasts with the chapel, are decorated with figures of saints shaped arbours lines the west wing of the château. the panelling where the monograms of the count and churchmen close to the Rabutin family. A former ice house and cellar also feature a little and his mistress, the marquise de Montglas, farther away from the green room. interweave with one another. *Explanations overleaf.