Environment
article | Reading time5 min
Far from being simply the work of André le Nôtre between 1660 and 1700, the Saint-Cloud estate bears witness to the evolution of garden design from the late Renaissance to the present day. Travel through four centuries of history in a single visit!
Four centuries of history
16th century: the terraced gardens of the Maison des Gondi
In 1577, Catherine de Médicis gave her squire, Jérôme de Gondi, a small 13-acre estate on the hillside overlooking the Seine. He had a pleasure house built, surrounded by terraced gardens modelled on Italian Renaissance villas, punctuated by parterres of embroidery, statues, fountains, basins and grottoes.
The square basin of the Grand Jet, whose height and power are still spectacular today, is the only surviving feature from this period.
Séverine Drigeard
17th century: views and grand perspectives
Remodeled by financier Barthélémy Hervart from 1655, the property was purchased in 1658 by Philippe, Duc d'Orléans, known as Monsieur, only brother of Louis XIV. André le Nôtre designed the park, which grew to over 400 hectares.
He launched two main axes from the château's terrace. The north-south axis includes the Fer à Cheval basin and the allée de la Balustrade. The grand perspective stretches for more than two kilometers, from east to west, behind the château. The large ceremonial terraces, richly decorated with flowerbeds, statues and basins, are followed by simple wooded squares. Le Nôtre's masterpiece takes full advantage of the steep slopes and uneven terrain.
© 4vents /CMN
18th century: groves and amphitheaters of greenery
Louis-Philippe de Chartres, Monsieur de Chartres' great-grandson, took over ownership of the estate in 1744 and brought in a new landscape architect, Pierre Contant d'Ivry. An adept of the rocaille style, he took advantage of the park's slopes to create a series of amphitheatres of greenery designed around curves and counter-curves. After the parterre de la Lyre in the Petit-Parc and the Fer-à-Cheval facing the château's south façade, he designed the violon de la Brosse in Ville-d'Avray, which leads to the short-lived petit château de la Gaÿeté, built in 1748 and destroyed in 1755.
Eric Sander
19th century: the Trocadero garden
In the 19th century, the model of landscaped parks was established with the creation of the Trocadero garden from 1823 to 1826. The garden's layout is characterized by a network of winding paths bordered by lawns or flowerbeds, creating a variety of scenes as you stroll along.
In 1852, Louis Napoléon Bonaparte purchased the Villeneuve-l'Etang estate on the western fringe of the estate, integrating 71 hectares of "English" parkland. In this hilly setting, he commissioned architects Arveuf and Clerget to build a model farmhouse in the picturesque style of Swiss chalets.
Eric Sander
20th century: a garden without a château
After the château was demolished, a mosaic of flowers was created on the slopes of the Montretout hill, overlooking the château terrace. The 60-metre-long mosaic features over 20,000 plants. A template is used to create this plant frieze, the motif of which varies from year to year.
The classification of the entire park as a site in 1923, and then as a historic monument in 1994, as well as the award of the "Remarkable Garden" label in 2005, have all contributed to affirming the heritage value of the estate.
