Château de Saint-Hubert
Encyclopedia
The Château de Saint-Hubert was a royal château
built by order of Louis XV in Perray-in-Yvelines (now in the department of Yvelines
), for use while he was hunting
in the nearby forest (Saint Hubert is the patron saint
of hunters). The design was entrusted to Ange-Jacques Gabriel
, designer of the École Militaire
, and the building was under construction from 1755 to 1758.
Saint-Hubert was originally intended as a simple hunting lodge, to allow the King to rest during and after the hunt without calling on his cousin, the duc de Penthièvre
. Work was not completed by 1756, and it was decided to turn Saint-Hubert into a full château, with a main building housing 25 nobles, plus two projecting service wings and a gatehouse creating a courtyard. The main room was elaborately decorated with painted stucco
.
The building was still not completed by the death of Louis XV, and Louis XVI abandoned it as too expensive. Instead, he bought the Château de Rambouillet
from the duc de Penthièvre. Saint-Hubert then fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1855. Little remains today.
Louis XV had planned a model village
around the Château de Saint-Hubert, but it also was never completed.
A painting by Charles-André van Loo
ordered in 1758 for the chapel at Saint-Hubert, The conversion of Saint-Hubert is now housed in the église Saint-Lubin-et-Saint-Jean in Rambouillet
.
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
built by order of Louis XV in Perray-in-Yvelines (now in the department of Yvelines
Yvelines
Yvelines is a French department in the region of Île-de-France.-History:Yvelines was created from the western part of the defunct department of Seine-et-Oise on 1 January 1968 in accordance with a law passed on 10 January 1964 and a décret d'application from 26 February 1965.It gained the...
), for use while he was hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
in the nearby forest (Saint Hubert is the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of hunters). The design was entrusted to Ange-Jacques Gabriel
Ange-Jacques Gabriel
Ange-Jacques Gabriel was the most prominent French architect of his generation.Born to a Parisian family of architects and initially trained by the royal architect Robert de Cotte and his father , whom he assisted in the creation of the Place Royale at Bordeaux , the younger Gabriel...
, designer of the École Militaire
École Militaire
The École Militaire is a vast complex of buildings housing various military training facilities located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, southeast of the Champ de Mars....
, and the building was under construction from 1755 to 1758.
Saint-Hubert was originally intended as a simple hunting lodge, to allow the King to rest during and after the hunt without calling on his cousin, the duc de Penthièvre
Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, duc de Penthièvre
Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon was the son of Louis Alexandre de Bourbon and his wife Marie Victoire de Noailles. He was also a grandson of Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Madame de Montespan. From birth he was known as the Duke of Penthièvre...
. Work was not completed by 1756, and it was decided to turn Saint-Hubert into a full château, with a main building housing 25 nobles, plus two projecting service wings and a gatehouse creating a courtyard. The main room was elaborately decorated with painted stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
.
The building was still not completed by the death of Louis XV, and Louis XVI abandoned it as too expensive. Instead, he bought the Château de Rambouillet
Château de Rambouillet
The château de Rambouillet is a castle in the town of Rambouillet, Yvelines department, in the Île-de-France region in northern France, southwest of Paris...
from the duc de Penthièvre. Saint-Hubert then fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1855. Little remains today.
Louis XV had planned a model village
Model village
A model village is a type of mostly self-contained community, in most cases built from the late eighteenth century onwards by industrialists to house their workers...
around the Château de Saint-Hubert, but it also was never completed.
A painting by Charles-André van Loo
Charles-André van Loo
Carle or Charles-André van Loo was a French subject painter, and a younger brother of Jean-Baptiste van Loo and grandson of Jacob van Loo. He was the most famous member of a successful dynasty of painters of Dutch origin...
ordered in 1758 for the chapel at Saint-Hubert, The conversion of Saint-Hubert is now housed in the église Saint-Lubin-et-Saint-Jean in Rambouillet
Rambouillet
Rambouillet is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.It is located in the suburbs of Paris southwest from the center...
.