Château De Vincennes
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Château de Vincennes () is a former fortress and royal residence next to the town of
Vincennes Vincennes (; ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Vincennes is famous for its castle: the Château de Vincennes. It is next to but does not include the ...
, on the eastern edge of
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, alongside the Bois de Vincennes. It was largely built between 1361 and 1369, and was a preferred residence, after the
Palais de la Cité The Palais de la Cité (), located on the Seine River's Île de la Cité, is a major historic building in the centre of Paris, France. It was an occasional residence of the Kings of France from the early 6th to the 12th century and a permanent one ...
, of French kings in the 14th to 16th century. It is particularly known for its "donjon" or
keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...
, a fortified central tower, the tallest in Europe, built in the 14th century, and for the chapel, Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes, begun in 1379 but not completed until 1552, which is an exceptional example of
Flamboyant Flamboyant () is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in the 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance.Encyclopedia Britannica, "Flamboyant style ...
Gothic architecture. Because of its fortifications, the château was often used as a royal sanctuary in times of trouble, and later as a prison and military headquarters. The chapel was listed as an historic monument in 1853, and the keep was listed in 1913. Most of the building is now open to the public.


History


12th–14th century – Louis VII to Saint Louis

The first royal residence was created by an act of Louis VII in 1178. The site had the advantages of good hunting in the surrounding forest, proximity to two former Roman roads to
Sens Sens () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yonne Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km southeast from Paris. Sens is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the second la ...
and to Lagny, as well as access by water on the Marne and
Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
rivers. It was used only occasionally by Louis VII and his successors, but Louis IX, or Saint Louis (1226–1270), used it much more often, second only to his time at the
Palais de la Cité The Palais de la Cité (), located on the Seine River's Île de la Cité, is a major historic building in the centre of Paris, France. It was an occasional residence of the Kings of France from the early 6th to the 12th century and a permanent one ...
in Paris. He held meetings of the royal council there, and Queen Margaret of Provence and his children often resided there when he was absent from Paris. When Louis IX purchased the reputed
Crown of Thorns According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns ( or ) was placed on the head of Jesus during the Passion of Jesus, events leading up to his crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion. It was one of the Arma Christi, instruments of the Passion, e ...
from the Emperor Baldwin of Constantinople, Louis received the celebrated relic at Sens Cathedral, escorted it to Vincennes, and then accompanied it to its eventual home in the
Sainte-Chapelle The Sainte-Chapelle (; ) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine in Paris, France. Construction b ...
in Paris. A few thorns from the crown of thorns and a small fragment of the reputed True Cross were deposited at Vincennes for placement in a future chapel. Louis IX said farewell to his family at Vincennes before his departure to the
Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
, from which he did not return. The château was frequented by the Kings and their families. Philip III (in 1274) and Philip IV (in 1284) were each married there and three 14th-century kings died at Vincennes: Louis X (1316), Philip V (1322) and Charles IV (1328). The residence at the time was a sprawling manor with four wings located in the northeast corner of the present château walls, begun in the late 13th century. It was transferred to the clergy of the Saint-Chapelle after the Keep was completed; vestiges were found during excavations in 1992–1996.


14th century – Fortress of Jean II and Charles V

The defeats of the French and the capture of the King by the English in the Hundred Years War, as well as uprisings of the Parisian merchants under Etienne Marcel (1357–58) and a rural upraising against the crown, the
Jacquerie The Jacquerie () was a popular revolt by peasants that took place in northern France in the early summer of 1358 during the Hundred Years' War. The revolt was centred in the valley of the Oise north of Paris and was suppressed after over tw ...
(1360), persuaded the new French king, John II and his son, the future Charles V, that they needed a more secure residence close to, but not in the center of Paris. The King ordered the construction of a fortress at Vincennes with high walls and towers surrounding a massive
keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...
or central tower, 52 meters (172 feet) high. The work was started in about 1337, and by 1364 the three lower levels of the keep were finished. Charles V moved into the keep in 1367 or 1368, while construction was still underway. When it was completed in 1369–70, it was the tallest fortified structure in Europe. The digging of the deep
moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...
came next (1367), then the fortified gateway (1369). The walls and towers surrounding the keep were finished in 1371–72. Charles V had even greater ambitions for the château. At the end of 1372, he began construction of another wall, a large square more than a kilometre () in length, with towers, to contain the additional buildings he intended to build. This was constructed between 1372 and 1385. The outer wall was given further reinforcement with the construction of a deep moat. The last project begun by Charles the V was laying the foundations of the Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes to hold a set of sacred relics obtained by Louis IX, but he died in 1380 in the Manoir de Beauté, a separate residence he had constructed in 1376–1377 southeast of Vincennes, when the work on the new Sainte-Chapelle had just begun.


Late 14th – Late 15th century – Wars of Religion – Royal fortress and refuge – La Sainte Chapelle

File:Limbourg brothers - Les très riches heures du Duc de Berry - December (detail) - WGA13030.jpg, The château behind a boar hunt, by Limbourg Brothers or
Barthélemy d'Eyck Barthélemy d'Eyck, van Eyck or d' Eyck ( 1420 – after 1470), was an Early Netherlandish artist who worked in France and probably in Duchy of Burgundy, Burgundy as a painter and manuscript illuminator. He was active between about 1440 to about ...
(1412–1416) File:Jean Fouquet - Job and his False Comforters - WGA08033.jpg, The château by Jean Fouquet (1455) File:Château de Vincennes sous Charles V par Pierre Nicolas Ransonette.jpg, The château of Charles V by Pierre Nicolas Ransonette (18th c. engraving), before the truncation of the perimeter towers
In the turbulent 15th century, the château became a refuge for the kings of France. It was the regular residence of
Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved () and in the 19th century, the Mad ( or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychosis, psychotic episodes t ...
up until his madness, then was disputed by the two rivals of his succession, Philip the Good of Burgundy and
Louis I, Duke of Orléans Louis I (13 March 1372 – 23 November 1407) was Duke of Orléans from 1392 to his death in 1407. He was also Duke of Touraine (1386–1392), Count of Valois (1386?–1406) Blois (1397–1407), Angoulême (1404–1407), ...
. In 1415 the knights of
Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hundred Years' War against ...
defeated the French at the
Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected victory of the vastly outnumbered English troops agains ...
. The Treaty of Troyes in 1420 granted the château and the
ÃŽle-de-France The ÃŽle-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
to the English. Henry V of England installed his troops there, repaired the château, and died there of
dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...
in 1422, aged 35. An alliance between the Burgundians with
Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious () or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. His reign saw the end of the Hundred Years' War and a ''de facto'' end of the English claims to ...
finally allowed the King to force the English out of the Île-de-France and to reoccupy the château. He and his successors rarely lived there, preferring the Loire Valley. His successor,
Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the ...
, also spent most of his time in the Loire Valley, but he made one major modification to Vincennes: He constructed a new royal residence within the walls, the first outside of the keep. It extended the entire length of the southeast wall. The Sainte-Chapelle of Vincennes, begun in 1379, was still unfinished in the 16th century. In 1520 King Francis I, a frequent resident, resolved to complete it to celebrate the birth of his son and heir. After his death in 1547,
Henry II of France Henry II (; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was List of French monarchs#House of Valois-Angoulême (1515–1589), King of France from 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I of France, Francis I and Claude of France, Claude, Du ...
took up the work, finishing the vaults, and adding the woodwork and especially the stained glass. It was completed in 1552.


17th and early 18th century – new royal residences

In the early 17th century,
Marie De' Medici Marie de' Medici (; ; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV. Marie served as regent of France between 1610 and 1617 during the minority of her son Louis XIII. Her mandate as rege ...
, the widow of the assassinated
Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 â€“ 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
, began a major project to replace the old pavilion of Louis XI and Francis I. Her son
Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...
, then age ten, laid the first stone of the new residence in 1610.
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
continued the program on an even larger scale; planned by the royal architect Louis Le Vau. His new residence in the French classical style, now the Batiment du Roi, was finished in 1658, and was twice the size of the Louis XIII residence. In 1688, work began on a new pavilion of the Queen, on the north side of the enclosure. A new formal garden with an orangerie, was built on the west side. A large group of painters and sculptors was assembled to decorate the new buildings. The ensemble was completed with a triumphal arch at the entrance, and was dedicated in August 1660, in time for the return of the King and his new bride to Paris. But the age of royal glory at Vincennes was brief; in 1682 Louis XIV moved the royal court to his residence at Versailles, and in 1715
Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...
began his reign in Versailles. While the boy king was taken by the Regent
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), who was known as the Regent, was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to i ...
to the château for several months in 1715 to keep him safe from conspiracies, and the King subsequently went hunting occasionally at Vincennes, the full Court did not return.


18th – early 19th century – Manufactory, prison, fortress

File:Sturm auf den Donjon.png, Storming of the keep by Revolutionaries (1791) File:Vincennes engraving by William Miller after Turner R531.jpg, The execution of the Duc d'Enghien in 1804 by William Miller after J. M. W. Turner File:VincennesWatercolor.jpg, Anonymous watercolour of the moat. The weeping willow marks the spot where the Duc d'Enghien was executed. File:Le général Daumesnil refuse de livrer Vincennes (huile de Gaston Mélingue, 1882).jpg, General Pierre Daumesnil : "I shall surrender Vincennes when I get my leg back." Following the royal departure in the early 18th century, an effort was made to turn the château into a sort of pre-industrial park; the royal porcelain manufactory was opened in the Devil's Tower in 1740, but moved to a larger space in
Sèvres Sèvres (, ) is a French Communes of France, commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of the Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a populatio ...
in 1756. It was home for a time of an armaments factory, then an industrial bakery. It was used occasionally for horse races from 1777 until 1784. In 1787 the King put most of the buildings up for sale, but the sale was interrupted by the French Revolution. The château took on a new role as a military base and prison. Long before the French Revolution, notable prisoners had been held at the château. Early prisoners included the future King Henry IV in 1574, Henri II, Prince of Condé;
Nicolas Fouquet Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux (; 27 January 1615 – 23 March 1680) was the Superintendent of Finances in France from 1653 until 1661 under King Louis XIV. He had a glittering career, and acquired enormous weal ...
, the Superintendent of Finances of Louis XIV (September 1661); and the writer
Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure during th ...
. In 1680 Catherine Deshayes Monvoisin or
La Voisin Catherine Monvoisin, or Montvoisin, née ''Deshayes'', known as "La Voisin" (c. 1640 – 22 February 1680), was a French fortune teller, commissioned poisoner, and professional provider of alleged sorcery. She was the head of a network of for ...
was one of more famous poisoners imprisoned and interrogated at the château during the Affair of the Poisons. The
Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade ( ; ; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814) was a French writer, libertine, political activist and nobleman best known for his libertine novels and imprisonment for sex crimes, blasphemy and pornography ...
was held there from 1777 to 1784, the writer
Honoré Mirabeau Honoré is a name of French origin and may refer to several people or places: Given name Sovereigns of Monaco Lords of Monaco *Honoré I, Lord of Monaco, Honoré I of Monaco Princes of Monaco *Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, Honoré II of Monaco ...
from 1777 to 1784, and the famous swindler Jean Henri Latude, who escaped twice from the Vincennes and once from the
Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a ...
. In 1784, after Mirabeau wrote a series of articles which exposed the abuses of the royal judicial system and the practice of keeping prisoners without trial, the use of the keep as a prison was discontinued. At the end of February 1791, a mob of more than a thousand workers from the
Faubourg Saint-Antoine The Faubourg Saint-Antoine () was one of the traditional suburbs of Paris, France. It grew up to the east of the Bastille around the abbey of Saint-Antoine-des-Champs, and ran along the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine. Location The Faubourg Sain ...
, encouraged by members of the Cordeliers Club and led by Antoine Joseph Santerre, marched out to the château, which, rumour had it, was being readied on the part of the Crown for political prisoners, and with crowbars and pickaxes set about demolishing it, as the Bastille had recently been demolished. The work was interrupted by the
Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...
who took several ringleaders prisoners, to the jeers of the Parisian workers. Following the French Revolution, the château was denounced as a symbol of oppression, but then was used again by
Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
to hold prisoners transferred from the Temple Prison in Paris, Napoleon demolished the Temple prison to prevent it from becoming a royalist shrine to
Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...
, who had been held there. Two historical items from the Temple Prison are displayed at Vincennes; an armoured prison cell door, and a stove of ceramic tiles which had originally been in the cell of Marie Antoinette. During the reign of Napoleon, the château and its buildings underwent considerable reconstruction to serve as a military arsenal. A new wooden floor divided the Sainte-Chapelle into upper and lower levels, and it was turned into a storehouse for munitions. The Pavilion of the King and the Pavilion of the Queen became barracks for the garrison. Most of the towers of the surrounding wall, which were in a poor state of repair, were demolished, with the exception of the Tower of the Village, which still has its original height, and the Tower of the Woods, which had collapsed earlier. The moat of the château was also the site of a famous execution, that of Duc d'Enghien, which took place on 21 March 1804. He was accused of trying the reinstate the royal government. A willow tree in the moat was planted to mark the place he was executed, and is still there today. In 1814, after Napoleon's defeat in Russia, as the allied armies of the Sixth Coalition approached Paris, the château was commanded by General Pierre Daumesnil. Daumesnil had a wooden leg, replacing a limb he lost at the
Battle of Wagram The Battle of Wagram (; 5–6 July 1809) was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor of the French, Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian Empire, Austrian arm ...
(5–6 July 1809). When the allies demanded his surrender, Daumenil responded, "I shall surrender Vincennes when I get my leg back". He finally agreed to give up the fortress only when ordered to do by the newly restored king,
Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 â€“ 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...
.


Late 19th – military base and public park

During the Restoration and the
July Monarchy The July Monarchy (), officially the ''Kingdom of France'' (), was a liberalism, liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 9 August 1830, after the revolutionary victory of the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 26 Februar ...
, in the first half of the 19th century, the château and park were used by military, particularly the artillery; an artillery school was opened there in 1826. The surrounding park was used for military exercises and as a firing range. In the first part of the 19th century three separate forts were constructed within the park to serve as part of the defences of the city. In the mid-century, the separate forts were connected together into one very large military complex. The buildings of the château itself and its surroundings were the park as part of the new fortifications of the city. Some parts of the medieval complexes were modified to fit into the new defensive plan. Under
Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
, the Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes was declared an historical landmark, and in 1854 restoration of the chapel was begun by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. The keep of the château was given landmark status in 1913, though restoration did not begin until after the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. Beginning just before 1860, Napoleon III also began to develop an extensive new public park to the southeast of Paris, the Bois de Vincennes, modelled after the
Bois de Boulogne The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park that is the western half of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by the Em ...
he had begun on the other side of the city. The territory of the Bois de Vincennes, with the exception of the military bases, was ceded to the City of Paris on 24 July 1860, and became part of the 12th arrondissement of Paris. On March 20, 1871, two days after the
Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...
seized power in the city, Commune soldiers came to the château and fraternised with the regular army soldiers. The château surrendered to the Commune without a fight. A few weeks later, on 27 May, after the regular
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
had recaptured Paris from the Commune, the château was the last holdout where the red flag still flew. A colonel of the regular army arrived and negotiated the surrender of the remaining Communards. The soldiers left peacefully, while some of the officers who had joined the Commune were arrested, tried and shot in the moat of the château. A plaque on the wall of the moat marks the place.


20th century – Command post

During the First World War, the Dutch-born German spy
Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (, ; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari ( , ; , ), was a Dutch Stripper, exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for German Empire, Germany during World War ...
was executed by a firing squad on October 15, 1917, in the moat of the château. The restoration of the château was halted in 1936 by concerns about the rising threat from
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
. Beginning in that year, a large underground bunker was dug beneath the Pavilion of the Queen in the southeast corner, to serve as the headquarters of the chief of staff. The generals
Maurice Gamelin Maurice Gustave Gamelin (; 20 September 1872 – 18 April 1958) was a French general. He is remembered for his disastrous command (until 17 May 1940) of the French military during the Battle of France in World War II and his steadfast defence of ...
and then
Maxime Weygand Maxime Weygand (; 21 January 1867 – 28 January 1965) was a French military commander in World War I and World War II, as well as a high ranking member of the Vichy France, Vichy regime. Born in Belgium, Weygand was raised in France and educate ...
directed the defense of France from there, until they were overwhelmed by the German
Blitzkrieg ''Blitzkrieg'(Lightning/Flash Warfare)'' is a word used to describe a combined arms surprise attack, using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with ...
. France surrendered on June 14, 1940. The Germans then used it as a base for their own soldiers, as well as a prison where
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
members were held. One of the first members of the French Resistance, Jacques Bonsergent, was tried and executed there on November 10, 1940. On 20 August 1944, during the battle for the Liberation of Paris, 26 policemen and members of the Resistance arrested by soldiers of the
Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...
were executed in the eastern moat of the fortress, and their bodies thrown in a common grave. On the evening of August 24, 1944, the same day that the 2nd Armoured Division of General Leclerc reached the centre of Paris, the German forces occupying the château set off explosives in the three storage areas of munitions, badly damaging the Pavilions of the King and Queen and opening a gap in the wall between the entry pavilion and tower of Paris, before they withdrew. The next day the 4th U.S Infantry Division reached the château and the eastern neighbourhoods of Paris. In 1948 the château became the headquarters of France's Defence Historical Service, which maintains a museum in the keep. A major campaign began in 1986 to preserve and restore the architectural heritage of the château.


Plan and description

File:Plan Château de Vincennes - 2021.svg, Plan of the château File:Chateau-de-Vincennes-donjon.jpg, Wide angle view of the keep File:Sainte Chapelle Vincennes 2014 ext.jpg, The Sainte-Chapelle and the Queen's Pavilion File:Château de Vincennes (35994433350).jpg, The keep and the King's Pavilion File:Le Château de Vincennes.jpg, The château Only traces remain of the earlier castle and the substantial remains date from the 14th century. The castle forms a rectangle whose perimeter is more than a kilometer in length (). It has six towers and three gates, each originally high, and is surrounded by a deep stone lined
moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...
. The towers of the ''grande enceinte'' now stand only to the height of the walls, having been demolished in the 1800s, save the ''Tour du Village'' on the north side of the enclosure. The south end consists of two wings facing each other, the ''Pavillon du Roi'' and the ''Pavillon de la Reine'', built by Louis Le Vau.


The Keep

File:94300 Vincennes, France - panoramio.jpg, Donjon or Keep File:Intérieur Donjon Château Vincennes - Vincennes (FR94) - 2020-10-10 - 31.jpg, Interior of the Keep File:Chateau de Vincennes - Donjon 6eme etage 2.JPG, Sixth floor of the Keep The Donjon or Keep of Vincennes was finished in 1369–70. It is high, the highest of its kind in Europe. Its walls are wide on each side, and at each corner is tower in diameter, the same height as the building. An additional tower, the height of the rest, is attached to the north of the northwest tower, providing support the whole structure and also containing latrines for all five levels of the keep. The wall at the base of the keep are 3.26 meters, or ten feet, thick. It served as both a royal residence and a very visible symbol of royal power. The keep is one of the first known examples of
rebar Rebar (short for reinforcement bar or reinforcing bar), known when massed as reinforcing steel or steel reinforcement, is a tension device added to concrete to form ''reinforced concrete'' and reinforced masonry structures to strengthen and aid ...
usage. Each of the eight floors has a central room about ten meters on each side. with a height varying from . Each of the lower four floors have a central column which reinforces the vaulted ceiling. The columns were decorated with sculpture and painted in bright colors. One striking feature of the construction was the use of iron bars to strengthen the structure. More than two and half kilometres () of iron bars, in various shapes, were built into the structure. Iron bars reinforced the doorways, windows and the ceilings of the corridors, and, unusually, belts of iron bars surrounded the entire tower at the ground level, fifth level and sixth level. In the Middle Ages the only access to the Keep was on the first floor, by a bridge from the terrace of the chatelet, where the King's offices were located. A narrow stairway, within the south wall. The two entrances on the ground floor were not added until the 18th century. When the keep was given an additional floor, and grand stairway was built connecting the two noble floors, the first and second.


Keep interior

File:Vincennes (94) Château Donjon Chambre du Roi 01.JPG, Bedchamber of the King File:Vincennes (94), château, donjon, chambre du Roi, chapiteau central 2.jpg, Central column in chamber of the King File:Vincennes (94), château, donjon, chambre du Roi, cheminée 2.jpg, Decoration of fireplace in the chamber of the King File:Vincennes (94) Château Donjon Chambre du Roi 14.JPG, Sculpture at the base of a vault, chamber of the King * The ground floor of the Keep has wells and the remains of a large fireplace. It was probably originally used by royal servants. It was largely rebuilt when the building was used as a prison. * The first floor contained the meeting hall of the Council of the King, and was also used when needed for bedchambers of the Queen and others close to the King. The walls were originally covered with oak panels, some of which are still in place. Studies of the wood indicate that it was cut between 1367 and 1371 in the Baltic region or present-day Poland. * The second floor was occupied by the bedchamber of the King, and has vestiges of the decoration added by
Charles V of France Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (; ), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War as his armies recovered much of the terri ...
when he rebuilt it 1367–38. The walls were originally covered with oak panels, and the vaulted ceiling was decorated with sculpted keystones and consoles and painted fleurs-de-lys and the coat-of-arms of the King, against a blue background, still visible. A small oratory is set into the north wall, though its wood panelling has disappeared. * The third floor has the same plan as the second, but lacks the ornate decoration of the royal floor. It was probably used by important guests of the King. * The fourth, fifth and sixth floors, which lack ornament, were probably used by domestic servants or soldiers. They were also used to store munitions for the weapons placed at the windows of the fourth floor and on the terraces of tower of latrines and the main body of the keep. The sixth floor has no windows and a ceiling only two meters high, and a single entrance. Beginning in 1752, the upper floors were used primarily as prison cells. The bars in the windows and doors date from that period. The extensive and elaborate graffiti still found on the walls on the upper floors also dates from the 17th and 18th century.


Wall of the Keep and Entry Pavilion

The Keep is surrounded by a rectangular stone wall, or "enceinte" about long one each side, high, and thick. It is crenelated at the top level with a walkway that was originally open but was given a tile roof in the 15th century and then the present slate roof. At each of the four corners is an Echauguette, a small watch tower that protrudes outward, to give better oversight of the walls. In the northeast corner of the walkway, next to the chatelet, is a group of rooms which originally were part of the working office of the King, on the second floor of the chatelet. They include a small chapel, a hall, and a chamber.


The Sainte-Chapelle

File:Sainte Chapelle Château Vincennes - Vincennes (FR94) - 2020-10-10 - 17.jpg, West front of Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes Façade de la Sainte-Chapelle du Château de Vincennes.jpg, Flamboyant west front of the Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes File:Interior of Sainte Chapelle, Vincennes 140308 1.jpg, Interior of the Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes The Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes, the royal chapel of the residence, was built on the model of the Sainte Chapelle of the
Palais de la Cité The Palais de la Cité (), located on the Seine River's Île de la Cité, is a major historic building in the centre of Paris, France. It was an occasional residence of the Kings of France from the early 6th to the 12th century and a permanent one ...
in Paris, though the plan was modified to have a single level, rather than two. Work began under
Charles V of France Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (; ), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War as his armies recovered much of the terri ...
in 1379, at the end of his reign. The exterior and interior sculpture was largely finished between 1390 and 1410. The west front was finished last; work was resumed in 1520, and it was inaugurated by
Henry II of France Henry II (; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was List of French monarchs#House of Valois-Angoulême (1515–1589), King of France from 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I of France, Francis I and Claude of France, Claude, Du ...
in 1552. The west front is a good example of the late Gothic
Flamboyant Flamboyant () is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in the 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance.Encyclopedia Britannica, "Flamboyant style ...
style, with three gabled arches one atop the other, framing and echoing the elaborate curling designs of the rose window. The stained glass windows of the interior reflected the changing style; the windows of the choir were
Rayonnant Rayonnant was a very refined style of Gothic Architecture which appeared in France in the 13th century. It was the defining style of the High Gothic period, and is often described as the high point of French Gothic architecture."Encylclopaedia B ...
Gothic, while those of the nave were Flamboyant. The Chapel suffered particularly from the vandalism of the French Revolution. Most all of the stained glass and the sculpture on tympanum and portals was smashed, but a few notable examples of 15th century sculpture survived, notably a sculpture of the Holy Trinity in the upper arches over the west portal. The outside walls are supported by enormous buttresses between the windows, each crowned by an ornate spire, giving them additional weight. File:Intérieur Sainte Chapelle Château Vincennes - Vincennes (FR94) - 2020-10-10 - 11.jpg, Stained glass windows of the apse File:Vincennes (94), château, sainte-chapelle, clé de voûte de la 3e travée.jpg, Keystone of a vault with initials of
Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
and
Catherine de' Medici Catherine de' Medici (, ; , ; 13 April 1519 â€“ 5 January 1589) was an Italian Republic of Florence, Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to Henry II of France, King Henry II. Sh ...
File:Vincennes (94) Château Sainte-Chapelle Culot 06.JPG, Sculpted
corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...
in the chapel
The nave and choir of the interior form a single vessel with five traverses. The oratories of the King and Queen are placed just before the choir. The summit of the vaults, where the ribs meet, are decorated with ornamental keystones, some with the coats-of-arms of
Isabeau of Bavaria Isabeau of Bavaria (or Isabelle; also Elisabeth of Bavaria-Ingolstadt; c. 1370 â€“ 24 September 1435) was Queen of France as the wife of King Charles VI of France, Charles VI from 1385 to 1422. She was born into the House of Wittelsbach a ...
and
Charles V of France Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (; ), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War as his armies recovered much of the terri ...
. The painted decoration on some of the later vaults displays the H of
Henry II of France Henry II (; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was List of French monarchs#House of Valois-Angoulême (1515–1589), King of France from 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I of France, Francis I and Claude of France, Claude, Du ...
and a K for
Catherine de' Medici Catherine de' Medici (, ; , ; 13 April 1519 â€“ 5 January 1589) was an Italian Republic of Florence, Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to Henry II of France, King Henry II. Sh ...
. The stained glass windows of the nave were installed between 1556 and 1559. Those in the nave were almost entirely destroyed in the French Revolution; only drawings remain. Some of the windows of the apse survived. They illustrate the Apocalypse as recounted in the Gospel of Saint John. They were substantially restored in the 19th century under Louis Napoleon and again the 20th century.


The Pavilions of the King and Queen

File:Pavillon du roi du chateau de vincennes 01.JPG, Pavilion of the King File:Vincennes Château de Vincennes Pavillon de la Reine.jpg, Pavilion of the Queen Louis XIII built the King's pavilion in the southwest corner between 1610 and 1617 near the beginning of his reign. Only the west façade of this building is still visible. In 1654–58, the royal architect Louis Le Vau enlarged the building surrounding the old structure with a new structure, in the French classical style. The new building has the same length as the old pavilion, but is twice as wide. The Pavilion of the Queen was built between 1658 and 1660, following the same basic design. The Pavilion of the King, three stories high, was built at the edge of a garden. The apartment of the King had five rooms, located on the first floor, looking west over the garden. The Queen's apartment in her pavilion followed the same plan, overlooking the courtyard. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the interiors fell into disrepair, then were almost totally destroyed, with the exception of some portions of the painted ceilings; the Germans had stored explosives in the two pavilions, and these exploded in fires set by the departing occupiers in August 1944. File:Salle Louis XIV 3059.JPG, Louis XIV Reading Room in the Pavilion of the King File:Chambre Vincennes (Louvre) plafond.jpg, Ceiling from the Pavilion of the King, now in the Egyptian collection of the Louvre Museum, room 639 File:Chambre Vincennes (Louvre) 2.jpg, Ceiling from Pavilion of the King, now in the Egyptian collection, Room 639 of the Louvre Museum Fortunately, some portions of the painted and sculpted ceilings of the royal pavilions were saved in the 19th century; King Louis Philippe had a ceiling dismantled and transported from Vincennes to the
Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
, where it was installed in room 639, a display of Egyptian Antiquities, where it can be seen today.


See also

* Fort Neuf de Vincennes, built to the east of the fortress beginning in 1840 to provide an up-to-date artillery platform as part of the Thiers Wall defences of Paris; now a military headquarters. *
List of tourist attractions in Paris Paris, the capital of France, has an annual 30 million foreign visitors, and so is one of the most visited cities in the world. Paris's sights include monuments and architecture, such as its Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and neo-classic Baron H ...


Sources


Bibliography

* * Frank McCormick, "John Vanbrugh's Architecture: Some Sources of His Style" ''The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians'' 46.2 (June 1987) pp. 135–144. * Jean Mesqui, ''Châteaux forts et fortifications en France'' (Paris: Flammarion, 1997)


Gallery

File:Sainte Chapelle Vincennes 2014 ext.jpg, The chapel, one of Le Vau's isolated ranges, and the queen's pavilion at the right File:Chateau de Vincennes (pixinn.net).jpg, Northern wall and main entrance to the castle File:Entrée du chateau de vincennes.jpg, South entry to the château File:94 Château de Vincennes -enceinte et douves.jpg, Another view of the moat File:Chateau de Vincennes.jpg, A view of the top of the keep File:Sainte Chapelle, Vincennes, South-West View 140308 1.jpg, Southwest view of the Sainte-Chapelle File:Vincennes - Tour du village - PA00079920 - 012.jpg, North entry to the château


External links


Website of the Château

Château de Vincennes
– The official website of France (in English)
Information on structurae.de

French web site about history of Castle of Vincennes, with many illustrations.
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vincennes, Chateau de Buildings and structures completed in 1410 Houses completed in the 15th century Castles in ÃŽle-de-France Palaces in France Royal residences in France Monuments historiques of Val-de-Marne Historic house museums in ÃŽle-de-France Museums in Val-de-Marne Monuments of the Centre des monuments nationaux World War I sites in France World War II sites in France