Multimillion-dollar restoration for one of France's most beautiful castles

A 7-million-euro restoration for one of France’s most beautiful castles: it is the castle of Pierrefonds, some 40 kilometers north of Paris, near the small town of Compiègne. It has ancient origins: the first nucleus dates back to the 12th century, and it was then enlarged over the centuries (especially between the late 14th and early 15th centuries, when Louis of Orleans, brother of King Charles VI, had it rebuilt by the architect Jean Le Noir), also becoming the scene of important historical events, such as the siege of 1617, when the castle was occupied by the “mécontents” of Henry II of Condé, who were later defeated. Following this event, King Louis XIII decided to have the castle demolished but left it unfinished due to the manor’s imposing size, which made it difficult. Remaining in ruins until the mid-19th century, the chateau was rebuilt by Viollet-le-Duc at the behest of Napoleon III, who intended to restore it to its size as a residence. However, the castle never became a residence but was still opened in 1867 as a museum.

Today, Pierrefonds Castle suffers from a situation of degradation affecting several parts of the building, as the diagnostic campaign conducted in May 2019 found. There are deep alterations on the facades, on the roofs (the Fumay slate roofs are worn in several places and the copper fastening hooks are worn), there are deep cracks, alterations affecting the gutters. Inside, the floors and even some walls are in bad shape due to water infiltration. In the Salle des Preuses, one of the best-known rooms in the chateau, 19th-century pictorial decorations have been found to be deteriorating, again due to infiltration.

The restoration work will start in 2022 and will be led by Pierre Bortolussi, chief architect of France’s historic monuments. A complete repair of the roofs and gutters will be carried out, the brick vault of the Salle des Preuses will be insulated, and the gallery roof slabs will be reopened. A biocide treatment, micro-exfoliation and replacement of altered stones will be carried out on the courtyard-side elevations. Still, in the Salle des Preuses the pictorial decorations will be restored, and lighting, including that of the basements, will be improved.

The goal of the work, in addition to ensuring the preservation of the monument and deepening scientific knowledge about the castle, is also to improve the reception of the castle, which opened its doors to 150,000 visitors in 2019. It will take two years to complete the work: in fact, it is scheduled to be completed in the last months of 2023.

Multimillion-dollar restoration for one of France's most beautiful castles

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