The chateau de Breteuil was built around 1600 on the site of a fortified castle, whose dovecote still exists today. For a long time the area was known as Bevilliers, a name which apparently refers to the existence of 2 villas (Latin: bis villae) during the Gallo-Roman period.
At Breteuil history comes to life.
The chateau is magnificently furnished. Tours of the chateau are always guided, and are enlivened by the 50 wax models from the musée Grévin.
The Breteuil family have been here for 400 years and have been intimately linked with the history of France. Here we see the order for the arrest of Cardinal Rohan being signed on 15th August 1785. This scene, illustrated here at Breteuil, took place at Versailles. The order was given by the king Louis XVI in the presence of the queen Marie-Antoinette and the Baron of Breteuil. The latter was charged with carrying out the king’s wishes.
Marcel Proust is one of the great figures of the world of the arts that you can meet during your visit to the chateau. His fictional character Hannibal de Bréauté was inspired by the marquis Henri de Breteuil (1848-1916), who you will notice has the same initials, HB.
One of the Breteuil family’s most illustrious ancestors was Emilie de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet, (1706-1749), who was a close friend of Voltaire and the leading woman of science in our history. Her works still attract the attention of scientific historians today, in Europe, Japan and the United States.