As you drive slowly down the main street of the town of Chantilly, just after passing the impressive stable building, a storybook structure appears around the bend in the road. This is a strange-looking château, different from most châteaux you’ve seen. It might remind you of a soft layer cake, with especially light and sweet whipped cream between the layers. This is the Château de Chantilly, and this is its story.
A small note before we start: in French, the château’s name is pronounced more like “Shan-tee-yee.” But since most people search online for “Chantilly,” I decided to stick with that spelling. Of course, anyone who points out that’s not quite how the French say it would be right, but then again, the French call their capital “Paree” while we call it Paris, so there’s already a precedent 🙂
The History of the Château de Chantilly
The Château de Chantilly, located about 50 kilometers north of Paris, has a long and ancient history. Originally, the château was actually made up of two separate castles. The larger one was built in 1531 on the ruins of a medieval fortress by the architect Pierre Chambiges for Anne de Montmorency, who was close to the court of King Francis I (r. 1515-1547) (his equestrian statue stands proudly in the courtyard facing the château’s entrance). The smaller castle was built about 30 years later by the architect Jean Bullant. Unfortunately, all that has survived to this day are the foundations, the moat, the gardens, and the outer buildings. We’ll talk about all of these shortly.
In 1632, after the death of Henri II de Montmorency, the château passed to his nephew, one of the most talented and courageous generals at the court of Louis XIV: Louis II de Bourbon-Condé, known as the Grand Condé. It’s no surprise that the gardens of the Château de Chantilly were designed by none other than the famous landscape architect of the Palace of Versailles, André Le Nôtre. The walls of the château were decorated by none other than the painter of the Palace of Versailles, Charles Le Brun, who also painted the famous ceiling of the Hall of Mirrors. Even the king’s architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, designed one important room in the château.
The Whipped Cream Castle
The Château de Chantilly is full of interesting historical events spanning hundreds of years, but it’s most famous for one thing above all: whipped cream, or as it’s called in French, crème Chantilly. Legend has it that whipped cream was invented by the famous chef François Vatel, though it’s quite possible it existed even earlier. If that’s the case, Vatel can at least be credited with the technique that makes it so airy. But even though he was considered the best chef of his time, his own end was anything but sweet.
The story began in 1671, when the Prince de Condé decided to throw a party for about 2,000 guests in honor of his cousin, King Louis XIV. The party, held from April 23 to 25, included balls, lavish feasts, and hunting expeditions, but Vatel enjoyed the grand event far less than his guests, as the weight of responsibility took a heavy toll on him.
Legend has it that Vatel had ordered ten baskets of prawns for one of the sauces he planned to cook. On the day the baskets were due to arrive, it turned out only eight had shown up. The great chef couldn’t bear the shame of serving a watered-down sauce, so he went up to his room and stabbed himself with his own kitchen knife. The person who found his body was a servant who had come to tell him that the two missing baskets of shrimp had been found. They had simply been running a bit late…
In the early 2000s, a film starring Gérard Depardieu came out about Vatel’s life and death, and if you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. In the meantime, here’s a look at its trailer:
The 18th Century Arrives in Chantilly
The château began the 18th century with a wave of renewal. In 1719, it was almost entirely rebuilt on its old foundations by the architect Jean Aubert. The château was decorated with new and lavish salons, and the same architect later built the largest stables in Europe there. But all of this came to a tragic end during the French Revolution, which caused enormous damage to the château.
You can still see the transformation the château underwent in some of the most beautiful Régence-style rooms in France. This style, named after the regency of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (during the childhood of Louis XV (r. 1715-1774)), is essentially a transitional style between the Baroque of Louis XIV and the Rococo of Louis XV, and it was in fashion from the end of the 17th century until the early 1730s.
The first room in the new style to decorate Chantilly was the Gallery of Battles, designed by the king’s architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, for Louis-Henri, Prince de Bourbon-Condé. The gallery displays, in chronological order, 11 important battles in which the Prince de Condé took part.
In the 1720s and 1730s, several new salons were commissioned by Louis-Henri, 7th Prince de Condé, who served as a minister at the court of Louis XV: the prince’s bedroom, designed by the architect Jean Aubert; the corner study, designed by Jean-Baptiste Cène; and the music room, which today is furnished with pieces that Louis XVI (r. 1774-1792) ordered for the Château de Saint-Cloud.
A special and rare room is the Monkey Room, or Grande Singerie. This room is part of the chinoiserie fashion (the influence of motifs from the Far East, and especially from China), which was at its peak during the reign of Louis XV. The singerie rooms depicted scenes of noble figures engaged in various activities, played by monkeys, a kind of self-deprecating humor.
The Monkey Room at Chantilly, painted by the caricaturist Christophe Huet, is one of the most beautiful and lavish examples still standing. In fact, Chantilly is the only château in France with two such rooms: another one in the same style, the Petite Singerie, is located in the Duke d’Aumale’s private apartments.
As lavish as they were, the new salons weren’t the real highlight of Chantilly in the 18th century. That honor belongs to the building of the largest and most magnificent stables in Europe. The stables were built between 1719 and 1735 on the orders of the 7th Prince de Condé, and designed by the architect Jean Aubert, who created one of the most beautiful and important buildings in the Louis XV style.
Legend has it that the Prince de Condé believed he was the reincarnation of a horse, which is why he gave the stables such importance that a casual visitor might mistake them for the château itself. Whether that’s just a legend or something he truly believed, what is known is that he was a passionate hunter who kept 240 horses and 150 hunting dogs. Since 1833, the racetrack next to the stables has hosted horse races and tournaments, and it still does today.
The building continued after Louis-Henri’s death in 1740 under his heir, Louis-Joseph, 8th Prince de Condé. He built the indoor tennis court, the Anglo-Chinese garden, and the Hameau, which later served as a model for the Queen’s Hamlet in the gardens of the Trianon at Versailles, and even a theater that no longer exists.
But construction stopped with the outbreak of the French Revolution. The Prince de Condé was a fierce opponent of revolutionary ideas, and he left France to form an army of French émigrés known as the Armée de Condé. The Château de Chantilly was seized by the revolutionaries and turned into a prison, its impressive art collection was transferred to the Louvre, and finally, in 1799, the château was demolished. Part of the land it stood on was divided into plots, on which the houses of the town of Chantilly now stand.
Like a Phoenix: The Rebirth of the Château de Chantilly in the 19th Century
In 1815, the Prince de Condé returned to Chantilly after a long exile, thanks to the fall of Napoleon and the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty. He regained possession of the château (or what was left of it) along with part of the collection that had been confiscated during the Revolution. He spent the last years of his life restoring and rebuilding what remained of the estate’s buildings.
Louis-Joseph’s heir, Louis Henri VI de Bourbon-Condé, the last Prince de Condé, was left without children after his son, the Duke of Enghien (Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien), was executed by Napoleon on charges of helping the British against France.
As a result, the château was inherited by King Louis-Philippe’s eight-year-old son, Henri d’Orléans, Duke d’Aumale. The Duke d’Aumale, who inherited a great fortune, devoted his adult life to rebuilding the château and turning it into one of the museums with the largest and most impressive collections in France.
As an adult, the Duke d’Aumale built an impressive military career and even served briefly as governor of Algeria. During this time, he renovated and adapted the small château to his needs and planned to rebuild the large château as well, but these plans were halted by the fall of the July Monarchy and the return of the Bonaparte family to power.
As a result, he was forced into a long exile in England, where he became a passionate collector of manuscripts, paintings, and decorative art. He built an impressive collection that he one day planned to display at Chantilly. And so, in 1871, after the fall of Napoleon III, the Duke d’Aumale returned to Chantilly with his great art collection to write the final chapter in the château’s fascinating story.
From Ruins to One of the Most Important Museums in France
By the time the Duke d’Aumale returned to Chantilly, he was already a widower and had lost both his sons. Since he had no one left to inherit Chantilly, he built it with the intention that it would become a museum after his death. To design the building, he hired the architect Honoré Daumet, who rebuilt Chantilly in the Neo-Renaissance style, on the foundations of the old 14th-century château.
He merged it with the small château, which had survived the Revolution but was demolished and rebuilt to form an integral part of the building. Since Chantilly was built on the foundations of two ancient castles, the architect had to adapt his design to those foundations, which resulted in a château with a somewhat odd shape that can sometimes be confusing to navigate.
The inside of the building is divided into two large wings, with the oval guard room serving as the axis connecting them. On one side is the large wing with the lavish Régence-era salons, located in the area where the large château once stood. On the other side is the Musée Condé, located in the area of the small château. The museum includes a library with about 2,500 rare manuscripts and engravings, and galleries that display an impressive collection of about 1,000 paintings and 2,500 drawings, along with rooms for rotating exhibitions.
The château, whose entrance is on an upper level, hides beneath it the Duke d’Aumale’s private apartments, built in the 19th century in the Neo-Rococo style. The only 18th-century room in this wing is the Petite Singerie which, like the Grande Singerie (located in the main wing), also has walls painted by the caricaturist Christophe Huet. These rooms, accessed through two private galleries, were recently renovated.
Next to the château stands its chapel, dedicated to Saint Louis. It was built in 1882 by the same architect and designed inspired by the chapel of the Château d’Écouen, and stained-glass windows and other original elements from that chapel were incorporated into the Chantilly chapel.
After returning to Chantilly, the Duke d’Aumale took on many public roles, such as head of the Oise departmental council, and a member of the Institut de France, the French Academy, the Academy of Fine Arts, and the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. It was only natural, then, that he would bequeath Chantilly and the Musée Condé to the Institut de France.
In May 1897, while on vacation at his holiday home in Sicily, the Duke died, and about a year later, in April 1898, the Château de Chantilly and the Musée Condé opened to the public. Today, it still looks and is organized exactly as it was when the Duke died, per his explicit instructions.
What to See in Chantilly
Every visit should start with the Grands Appartements. Their splendor is a feast for the eyes, which may be why so many films have been shot there over the years. Here are a few examples:
From there, it’s worth continuing to the Musée Condé to see the many paintings, illustrations, sculptures, manuscripts, and engravings. After that, I recommend heading down the grand staircase to the lower level. There, you can book a guided tour (in French only) of the Duke d’Aumale’s private apartments, located on the same floor. While you wait, you can sit at the château’s café or restaurant to grab a bite, and maybe try some high-quality crème Chantilly.
After touring the inside of the château, head out to Le Nôtre’s beautiful gardens, stroll along the English garden, visit the Temple of Venus (which closely resembles the one at the Petit Trianon in Versailles), then stop to admire the sculpted waterways, and finally stop by the Hameau, a series of garden buildings that look like simple village houses from the outside, but are furnished inside with all the comforts typical of 18th-century nobility.
And if you have time left, or as an alternative to a long visit to the gardens, you can cross the road to the Grandes Écuries (Great Stables), home to a museum dedicated to horses and the art of horsemanship. You can also see the horses in their stalls and catch a live equestrian show.
If you don’t get a chance to try crème Chantilly at the château, you’ll find plenty of places serving it on the town’s main street, one of which proudly bears the name Vatel.
The Best of Chantilly
Among the whole impressive collection, a few works of art and objects deserve special attention:
● The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry is an illuminated 15th-century manuscript considered a rare masterpiece, which can be seen in the château’s library.
● The painting The Three Graces by Raphael, from 1505, hangs in the picture gallery, and although it’s the smallest painting in the Musée Condé, it’s also the most important.
● A commode built in 1775 by the king’s cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener for Louis XVI, originally located at Versailles and now found in the château’s bedroom.
● A writing desk originally made for Chantilly by the king’s cabinetmaker André-Charles Boulle in 1715, now located in the music room.
There are also many other manuscripts, paintings, and pieces of furniture among the most important and rare in existence today.
Tickets to the Château de Chantilly and Other Useful Information
You can find tickets to the château, or to a guided visit (which includes hotel pickup and drop-off, a guide, and a three-course meal), in my article A Day Outside Paris (and along the way, learn about other châteaux within an hour’s drive of Paris).
Opening Hours
- Wednesday-Monday: 10:00–18:00 (April to October), 10:00–17:00 (November to March)
- Tuesday: Closed
Getting There
Getting to Chantilly by train is quick and easy. Trains leave from Gare du Nord and arrive at Chantilly-Gouvieux. The first and faster option is the SNCF TER train (www.ter.sncf.com/hauts-de-france), which departs every 25 minutes. The second option is the RER suburban train, line D (www.transilien.com), which departs every 45 minutes.
From the train station, you can take the DUC bus (Desserte Urbaine Cantilienne) or line 15 toward Senlis, getting off at the Chantilly, église Notre-Dame stop. You can also walk through the charming town, which takes about 25 minutes.
FAQ
Who built the large château at Chantilly?
Who designed the gardens of the Château de Chantilly?
Who was François Vatel, and what was his connection to the Château de Chantilly?
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