| Pierrefonds Castle |
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An imposing stonghold In 1393, Louis d’Orleans, second son of Charles V, established a fortified residence built over the site of an original fortress constructed by the descendants of Nivelon of Pierrefonds in the 12th century. This fortress, close to Compiègne, remained as a royal grant to the Orléans family, first Charles, son of Louis, and then the future Louis 12th. In 1589 Antoine de Saint-Chamand took the castle over in the name of the Holy League. He entrusted it to the keeping of a captain who succeeded in repelling two attempts to take it by the royal army, one of them led by Henri IV in 1593. In 1617, on the orders of Louis XIII, a siege was laid to Pierrefonds and this was to prove fatal to the fortress, wich was effectively taken and then demolished. This majestic ruin was destined to fall into oblivion. It was purchased in 1810 by Napoleon, and Napoleon III wanted to transform it into an occasional and then a proper imperial residence. In 1857, he entrusted the architect Viollet-le-Duc with the restoration work, which was permanently stopped in 1885 without the interior decoration being fully completed.
The Gallery of the Effigies The gallery of the effigies is a scarcely known collection, which is to find in the caves beneath the castle.
In 1953, the Museum of Versailles donated around a hundred of th plaster to the Castle of Pierrefonds, effigies of people directly linked with the French Monarchy. Originally ordered by King Louis-Philippe for the national
The castings are a small sample of the sculptures ordered by the King from 1833 for his NationalMuseum project in VersaillesCastle. The collection is now helpful in understanding the aims of the monarch and demonstrates the perception of the July Monarchy – they bring the French together and restore a communal identity within a settling nation.
The “Galleries of Stone” were thus created as a representation of history in political ends. In the 1920s they were distributed in various museums and historical buildings.
A visit to this underground gallery reveals an extra significance in addition to the hundreds of castings. The archaeological importance of the site as the castle would have been in the 15th Century and the visible changes, additions from the 19th century and heat-conveying torches are clearly evident to visitors.
The Dance of the Effigies is the name given to the strange and mysterious voyage through the caves accompanied by light and sounds. Whispered poems and murmurs bring thehundreds of statues to life before the visitors’ eyes and ears.
The Monduit Collection
Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Honoré Monduit and then his son Philippe, encouraged by their architects, demonstrated their ability to revive the art of lead-working.
The greatest architects and sculptors entrusted the Monduit with the task of either restoring or creating works such as the spire of Notre-Dame de Paris, the great lantern of the dome of the Opéra de Paris, The Statue of Liberty, the Archangel Michael that crowns the spire of Mont-Saint-Michel and the roofs coverings of the château de Pierrefonds.
All these objets are not copies but genuine replicas, produced by the Monduit ateliers at the very same time as the orders were executed. Works such as these enabled this dynasty of lead-workers to put their work before the public and demonstrate their art at the “expositions universelles” or world exhibitions. All these objets are not copies but genuine replicas, produced by the Monduit ateliers at the very same time as the orders were executed. Works such as these enabled this dynasty of lead-workers to put their work before the public and demonstrate their art at the “expositions universelles” or world exhibitions. Further information 00 33 3.44.42.72.72
- All year with the exception of January 1st, May 1st and the 25th of December. - From the 5th of September to the 30th of April : from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am until 1pm and from 2pm to 5.30 pm.
- From the 2nd of May until the 4th of September, every day from 9.30am until 6pm.
Entrance fees :
Adults : 7€ The entrance is free for everyone, the first Sunday of each month, from November to March.
Tickets office close 45 mins before and book shop closes 15 mins before the closure of the monument itself.
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