The Château de Maintenon owes its fame to its hosts : King Louis XIV and his second wife, to whom it owes its name.
A governess who became the King’s wife
Clearly visible behind the gates, the silhouette of the Château de Maintenon unfolds. The building would probably have remained anonymous, if it had not welcomed a famous hostess who was to deeply permeate the place, Madame de Maintenon, with the influence of the Sun King, Louis XIV, in her wake.
The story of the Lady is almost like a fairy tale ! Widow of the poet Scarron, Françoise d’Aubigné, first governess of the bastards of the King and of Montespan, obtained after several years of total devotion, the recognition of the Sun King and then his love. The latter will secretly marry her. A not-so-secret marriage…since the whole court talks about it, including the pope who sends her gifts. The story of Madame de Maintenon is that of a governess who became the King’s wife !
A garden created by Lenôtre
The castle recounts the formidable rise of Françoise d’Aubigné. It experienced a real boom to meet the needs of the court and the King. The wing connecting the castle to the church was built to protect the Absolute Monarch from bad weather when he went to offices. It was at the same time that Le Nôtre remodeled the gardens to offer a landscape spectacle where water was the main component. One way, perhaps to compensate for the lack of water in Versailles…
The visit to the castle takes place in two parts :
The first part of the visit :
This is the discovery of the 17th century apartments of Madame de Maintenon and Marshal Adrien-Maurice Duke of Ayen then Duke of Noailles.
The second part of the visit :
It takes place in the small 19th century apartments furnished by Duke Paul de Noailles and his wife Alicia de Rochechouart de Mortemart, the King’s salon or Louis XIV’s former bedroom in Maintenon and in the large 19th century apartments followed by the gallery inspired by the galleries of the châteaux of Versailles and Eu fitted out by Louis-Philippe.
Visitors can then stroll through the French gardens and walk to the foot of the aqueduct.
