Clan Rising
Château de Choisy today

France · Demolished

Château de Choisy

Château de Choisy-le-Roi

The Château de Choisy was a royal residence on the Seine at Choisy-le-Roi near Paris, built and altered for members of the royal family in the 17th–18th centuries. Enlarged by Ange-Jacques Gabriel under Louis XV, it included a Petit Château, a theatre, orangerie and extensive parterres facing the river. The main buildings were demolished in the nineteenth century; only ancillary pavilions and fragments of service wings remain on the site today.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1678

Its prime

1752

Today

Demolished

As it stood in 1752

What Château de Choisy looked like in its prime.

A long, symmetrical rectangular corps de logis two storeys high with a mansard attic roof pierced by regular dormer windows; a central three-bay projection with a classical pediment bearing sculptural reliefs; rows of tall, evenly spaced windows and pilaster-like vertical divisions across the façade. In front, a broad terrace and formal parterres step down to a ha-ha and the Seine; two small flanking pavilions mark the edges of the former cour d'honneur. No towers or crenellations.

Its story

The story of Château de Choisy.

Choisy began with Mlle de Montpensier, who was advised to open up her 'vilaine situation' by laying low the dense woods that shut the site off from the Seine, 'there one only saw the riverbank as if through a dormer window'. The château passed in 1693 to the Grand Dauphin, who had interior modifications executed before exchanging it in 1695 for Meudon, more accessible from Versailles.

In 1716 it was sold to Marie Anne de Bourbon, dowager princesse de Conti, the legitimised daughter of Louis XIV and Louise de la Vallière; on her death in 1739 it was sold to Louis XV, who gave the commune its present name of Choisy-le-Roi. Ange-Jacques Gabriel enlarged the château, which gained a Petit Château, an orangerie, riverfront parterres and the theatre Gabriel built for Mme de Pompadour, later the model for Marie Antoinette's Théâtre de la Reine at Versailles.

After Louis XV's death Marie Antoinette came often to Choisy. At the Revolution the château was confiscated as a bien national, emptied of its contents at auction and its grounds divided into lots and sold; the main buildings were demolished in the nineteenth century, leaving only ancillary pavilions and fragments of the service wings on the site.

Step inside

8 places to explore in 1752.

The record describes 8 distinct spots at Château de Choisy, including 3 interiors: pavillon particulier (petit château), circular vestibule and salon, théâtre interior by gabriel, orangerie central salon with sculpture. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from the Seine (riverbank view)Parterre and terrace in front of the main façadeCour d'honneur flanked by pavilions (entrance court)Close view of the main façade and central pedimentPavillon Particulier (Petit Château), circular vestibule and salonThéâtre interior by GabrielOrangerie central salon with sculptureStables and enlarged service wing (service courtyard)

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Whose castle

Clans who held Château de Choisy.

The families that held Château de Choisy for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Bourbon

    A Bourbon royal residence, the princesse de Conti held it from 1716, then Louis XV from 1739 until the Revolution confiscated it.

From the archive

Château de Choisy on paper: the measured plan and period views.

The survey plan and photographs below are the ground truth this page's reconstructions are checked against, drawn and photographed while the castle was still a working garrison. Every image is public-domain or openly licensed, with its source named.

Gezicht op het Château de Choisy, Château de Choisy

Gezicht op het Château de Choisy

· Rijksmuseum (via Europeana)

Public domain

Gezicht op het Château de Choisy gezien vanaf de tuin, Château de Choisy

Gezicht op het Château de Choisy gezien vanaf de tuin

· Rijksmuseum (via Europeana)

Public domain

Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Château de Choisy.

Grand Mosque of Paris, FranceMosqueGrand Mosque of Paris10 km awayCatacombs of Paris, FranceAncient siteCatacombs of Paris10 km awayMontparnasse Cemetery, FranceCemeteryMontparnasse Cemetery10 km away

Questions about Château de Choisy

What is the history of Château de Choisy?

Château de Choisy began as a country residence in the late seventeenth century for Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier. It passed to the Grand Dauphin in 1693 and to Marie Anne de Bourbon in 1716. Louis XV bought it in 1739, enlarged it with theatres, gardens and a Petit Château, and it was confiscated during the Revolution before demolition in the nineteenth century.

What is inside Château de Choisy?

The documented interiors of Château de Choisy include the Petit Château’s circular vestibule and salon, the theatre built by Gabriel, and the Orangerie’s central salon with sculpture. The Petit Château provided an intimate refuge for Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour, while a surviving description records the circular Salon and Vestibule in 1754.

Why was Château de Choisy built, and what was it used for?

Château de Choisy was built as a country residence and later served as a royal residence. Louis XV valued it as a home near the forest of Sénart, where he hunted, and expanded it with a theatre, stables, orangerie, bathing pavilion, Petit Château and formal gardens. It also hosted fêtes and private entertainments.

Where is Château de Choisy?

Château de Choisy was in Choisy-le-Roi, beside the Seine, in the Val-de-Marne department near Paris. The former estate stood on the riverfront, with its main parterres and terrace facing the Seine. The site is now occupied by the old town hall of Choisy-le-Roi.

When was Château de Choisy built?

Château de Choisy was first raised in 1678, in the late seventeenth century. Construction continued between 1678 and 1686, when Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier, replaced an existing house with a new château. Later building campaigns continued under Louis XV, including major enlargement from 1740 onwards.

Which family or clan held Château de Choisy?

The Bourbon family held Château de Choisy from 1716, when the princesse de Conti acquired it, and Louis XV held it from 1739 until the Revolution confiscated it. This was a Bourbon royal residence associated with members of the French royal family.

What did Château de Choisy look like in its prime?

At its height, Château de Choisy was a long, symmetrical rectangular classical building with two storeys and a mansard attic roof. Regular dormer windows, tall evenly spaced windows and pilaster-like divisions marked the façade, while a three-bay central projection carried a sculpted classical pediment. Formal parterres and a terrace faced the Seine.

Is Château de Choisy still standing or is it a ruin?

Château de Choisy is no longer standing as a complete building; it was demolished in the nineteenth century. Two entrance pavilions, a dry ditch and ha-ha, a semicircular wall and fragments of the former service wing survive. The site is now occupied by the old town hall of Choisy-le-Roi.

Who built Château de Choisy?

Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier, commissioned the first Château de Choisy, and Jacques Gabriel designed it. The sculpted pediment was made by Étienne Le Hongre. Later enlargement was directed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, who added major royal rooms and buildings under Louis XV.

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