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Château des Fontaines

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Château des Fontaines, 2011

The Château des Fontaines is a historic château located in Gouvieux near Chantilly, in the Oise, in the Hauts-de-France region.

History

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The château was begun by Baron James Edouard de Rothschild in 1879 and finished by his widow, Thérèse von Rothschild in 1882.[1][2] The house was designed according to James' plans by architect Félix Langlais [fr], who also designed the Château d'Armainvilliers and renovated the Hôtel de Pontalba and Vaux-de-Cernay Abbey for the Rothschild family. James also gave instructions for the decoration and furnishing of the house.[3] In the town of Gouvieux, Thérèse founded a dispensary, a school and a library.[4]

The château was designed in an eclectic mix of styles, including medieval, early 17th century, Louis XIV style. It featured steep-pitched roofs, the polychrome stone and brickwork and its high turrets. Thérèse made the château her summer residence until her death in 1931, continuing to use it even after she had made it over to her son, Henri, on his marriage in 1895 to Mathilde Weisweiller.[5] Reportedly, Henri rarely visited but his son, Philippe, spent summers at the château with his grandmother.[4]

Post World War II

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The château was occupied by the Nazis during World War II, and in 1946 was taken over by the Jesuits who set up a library and research center there.[6] In 1970 it became the Cultural Center of Fontaines (French: Centre culturel des Fontaines).[4] In 1998, the Paris-based consulting firm Capgemini acquired the château.[7]

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  • Roofs on Chantilly road
    Roofs on Chantilly road
  • The octagonal pavilion (partially visible in the background on the left)
    The octagonal pavilion (partially visible in the background on the left)
  • The entrance gate on the Chantilly side
    The entrance gate on the Chantilly side

References

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  1. ^ "Campus Les Fontaines - Chantilly Senlis Tourisme". www.chantilly-senlis-tourisme.com. Chantilly Senlis Tourism. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  2. ^ Dawes, Charles Gates (2016). A Journal of the Great War. Lulu.com. p. 263. ISBN 978-0-9906574-1-5. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  3. ^ Pons, Bruno (1995). French Period Rooms, 1650-1800: Rebuilt in England, France, and the Americas. Éditions Faton. pp. 64, 418–423. ISBN 978-2-87844-015-7. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Château des Fontaines, Gouvieux-Chantilly, France". family.rothschildarchive.org. The Rothschild Archive. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Wedding of Henri de Rothschild". The New York Times. 9 June 1895. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  6. ^ Ferguson, Niall (1 September 2000). The House of Rothschild: Volume 2: The World's Banker: 1849-1999. Penguin. p. 759. ISBN 978-1-101-15357-4. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Les Fontaines Capgemini Accueil en". www.les-fontaines.com. Campus Serge Kampf Les Fontaines. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
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