Chantilly and Senlis

A Castle and A Town Fit for Kings

By Rachel Kaplan

Paris Kiosque - March 2002 - Volume 9, Number 3
Copyright (c) 2002 Rachel Kaplan - Used with permission.

---

While the Louvre and Versailles tend to be household names, many visitors to Paris are surprised to learn that 20 minutes away from Charles De Gaulle Airport are two of the most enchanting sites in France: the magnificent castle and stables of Chantilly and the ancient town of Senlis, whose Gallo-Roman wall, cobbled streets, handsome stone houses and early Gothic cathedral, have won over many directors of costume dramas for film and television.

On a recent wintry day in December, I drove out with guests to Chantilly (allow at least 45 minutes by car, an hour if there is traffic) and braved the chilling rain to admire the monumental stables which had been commissioned by one of the castle's former owners: Henri-Louis, Duc de Bourbon, who wanted to be reincarnated as a horse. Built by Jean Aubert between 1719 and 1735, the stables are over 600 feet in length and once accommodated 240 horses, as well as 150 hounds for the hunt. Now known as the Living Horse Museum, most would agree this to be the most encyclopedic museum ever devoted to the history of horses, showing how the animal has been a vital element in the art of war, as well as the hunt and the military dress parade. However, don't presume that these awesome stables are only for the horse buff and trainer's kids adore the live hour- long spectacles of elegant steeds trained to prance like the famed Lippinzanner horses from Vienna.

There is so much to see in Chantilly's castle and gardens, that serious art lovers may find it hard to tear themselves away. An architectural hodge-podge of styles that somehow work harmoniously thanks to the stunning landscape of canals and formal gardens conceived in the 17th century by AndrŽ Len™tre, the present-day edifice built on Medieval foundations, includes a small chateau built in the Renaissance by Pierre Chambige (who worked on the original Hotel de Ville in Paris), and a larger chateau that was rebuilt in the second half of the 19th century by the Duc d'Aumale, the fifth son of the last king of France, Louis-Philippe d'Orleans. The castle's history is long and impressive; among its former residents were the enormously wealthy High Constable Anne de Montmorency (chief minister to Francis I and Henry II), and the Grand Condé, a military genius who hosted Louis XIV for a three-day feast and theatrical in 1671 that was dramatized in the film "Vatel" starring Uma Thurman and Gerard Depardieu. Poor Vatel! Helll go down in history as the most dedicated of caterers, knowing that he threw himself on his sword when a fish delivery from Paris failed to turn up. By the time it arrived, Vatel was dead.

The riches and rarities of Chantilly are such that visitors are asked to partake of the guided tour, usually given in French. (For those who majored in Spanish or only have high-school French, the museum has provided English-language handouts describing each room. Although Chantilly Castle was sequestered during the French Revolution and emptied of most of its original furniture and paintings, you wouldn't know it if you visited today. Thanks to the munificence of his godfather the Duc de Bourbon, the Duc d'Aumale inherited a vast fortune upon his death, including Chantilly Castle and the Palais-Bourbon in Paris (now the French National Assembly). While the Revolution of 1848 and the Second Empire of Napoleon III forced him into exile in Twickenham, England, the Duc d'Aumale didn't lose time amassing one of the most extraordinary private collections of paintings, drawings and illuminated manuscripts outside the Louvre. Not only does Chantilly boast furniture that was once commissioned by Marie- Antoinette and Louis XVI, but it boasts almost 1,000 Old Master paintings, including three works by Raphael, three paintings by Ingres, including a famous Self-Portrait, five paintings by Nicolas Poussin, and the largest single collection of 16th century royal portraits by Jean and Francois Clouet, including those of Anne Boleyn, Diane of Poitiers, Catherine de Medicis, Francis I and Henry II as a child.

Chantilly's more than 3,000 Old Master drawings allows for continual temporary exhibits, which are on handsome display in the former Hunt Dining Room, which boasts a stunning series of priceless Gobelins tapestries titled "The Hunt of Maximilian." (A few years ago, Bill Gates acquired four of these tapestries (they made several editions back then) and displayed them next to his Leonardo Codex. Bibliophiles will want to linger in the Duc d'Aumale's two-story private library, which boasts the finest illumated manuscripts in France outside the Bibliotheque Nationale. The most celebrated of these is only displayed in facsimile. The Very Rich Hours of the Duc de Berry an illuminated parchment almanac that was commissioned in the 15th century by the King Jean Le Bon for his third son. Not only does it provide a dazzling illustrated document of Medieval life, month by month, but it is through this book that we have the only visual record of the Louvre under Charles V, when most of Paris was still farmland.

By 12:30, we were famished, and luckily for us, had thought to make reservations in Vatel's former kitchen La Capitainerie, where we sat down to a delightful lunch of cream of mushroom soup made with cepes, venison stew, and a chocolate delight served with crême Chantilly, the French answer to whipped cream, which an 18th century chef concocted within these very walls. Before our departure, we headed for the well-stocked bookstore to learn more about Chantilly's holdings and famous owners. Like most such stores in France, you can even purchase paste copies of the jewels worn by certain royal mistresses, as well as replicas of the famed Chantilly porcelain, which is now being made in Limoges.

Although we were tempted to walk off the lunch in the vast gardens which offer many delightful spots for picnics and photo opportunities, the rain got the best of us, and we headed back to our van for our next stop, Senlis. Known to the Romans as Augustomagus in the first century before Christ (Augustus's Market), this picturesque town is one of two left in France that is still surrounded by a 12-foot thick Gallo-Roman wall built in the third century to stop invaders in their tracks. Originally over three miles in circumference, sixteen of the wall's original 28 towers are still extant. A number of them were used to shore up the town's 17th and 18th century edifices. It was at Senlis in 987 that Louis XVI's ancestor Hughes Capet, the founder of the Capetian dynasty, was named king of France. Later, in 1439, Joan of Arc, would defeat the Duke of Bedford on the Senlis plain before her capture by the Burgundians.

Since daylight was fading fast, we spent most of our time exploring the town apostrophe s most famous monument, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, whose 78 meter-high stone steeple was built in the 13th century, during the reign of Saint-Louis, the same monarch who commissioned the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. Many people from all over come to admire the cathedral's western portal, which features the first stone representation of the Virgin's Ascension to Heaven. Begun in 1155 and consecrated in June 1191, the cathedral's architecture was inspired by Abbée Suger of Saint Denis. In 1504, thunder struck the roof of the church and set aflame the eaves chronicles from the period noted that the roof's leading poured down upon the town like rain. Both Louis XII and Francis I raised the funds to rebuilt the church and raise the vaulting an additional 24 ft. It's thanks to their efforts that the cathedral's southern faŤade now under restoration, is the penultimate example of Flamboyant Gothic. If we had more time, we would have lingered in the town's handsome hunting museum, the first of its kind in France, which boasts stunning engravings by Durer and Callot, as well as fine animal paintings by Rosa Bonheur and Jean-Baptiste Oudry.

At Christmas-time the streets of Senlis are beautifully decorated with miniature fir trees tied with red or white bows, and the shop windows are filled with tempting pastries, chocolates and crafts. Needless to say, my guests and I espied a charming antique print shop, where we uncovered an elegantly framed 17th century engraving of Senlis and an 18th century print of Chantilly Castle. Purchase price: $200. It seemed like a lovely memory to carry home after such a memorable day out.

Getting there:
Chateau de Chantilly-Musée Condé
01-44-57-08-00
Access: 30 minutes from the Gare du Nord train station to Chantilly Gouvieux, with trains running every hour. From the station, you can take a bus or a cab, or go on foot for a brisk 20 minute walk.
To get to Senlis, take the train from the Gare du Nord train station to Chantilly Gouvieux, then take a bus to Senlis. (There are no direct trains to Senlis).

---

Rachel Kaplan, a graduate of the Lyçée Français de New York, and Northwestern University's medill School of Journalism, is the author of six books, including Little-Known Museums In and Around Paris. She is the proprietor of French Links, an innovative cultural tourism company offering customized services for individuals, groups and families, as well as for bussinesses. Some of her recent guests include a former US President and Governor.