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At one end of the Paris metro yellow line is La Defense, the other, Chateau de Vincennes.
The location of my work hotel is somewhere in between and I’ve visited La Defense’s Christmas market a few years ago, but never gave much thought to the other end of the line. La Defense is a business district, I just naturally assumed Chateau de Vincennes metro stop was named after the area, not an actual Château. In actuality, I was partly correct.
The area of Vincennes was formed in the late 18th century, when two village communities located north of the chateau joined together…the hamlet of La Pissotte, which was built towards the end of the 13th century and Basse-Coura subdivision created under Charles V originally used to house royal servants. In 1829, the territory was enlarged at the expense of Fontenay-sous-Bois and Montreuil. Vincennes now covers an area of some 192 hectares and has almost 50,000 inhabitants. It is one of the most densely populated towns in France.
But, there really is a chateau in Vincennes!
Setting out shortly after my arrival into Paris, I was excited at the prospect of seeing this chateau in Vincennes that this metro stop was named for.
Exiting the metro, I discovered massive walls and an imposing gate a short distance away on the Avenue de Paris. Complete with a draw bridge spanning a moat surrounding the premises, I was reminded of its long history and its need for defense during tumultuous times.
Chateau de Vincennes entrance
Built between 1361 and 1369, this preferred residence of the French Kings was known for its keep and for its beautiful chapel, Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes, although prior monarchs used the area during the century before construction commenced.
Passing through the gates, I glanced up at the bell tower and clock, the very first public clock in France (although now a reproduction with its original kept in Saint Chappelle). A little further, I walked into a large compound with buildings lining the walkway to both my left and right, and here, I discovered the ticket office. Although I had purchased my ticket prior to my arrival, I stopped inside to ensure that everything was in order and to confirm what my entry fee covered. Handed a map, I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to visit not only the Keep and the Chapel, but also the Queen’s Pavilion.
The Keep, or “donjon” seemed to be the perfect place to start my explorations. This fortified central tower, the tallest in Europe at the time, was built during the 14th century. Initiated by King Philippe VI in 1340, later his son Jean II of France and subsequently, his son, the future Charles V, the fortress with high walls, towers and a keep were completed by 1370. Charles V moved into the Keep with some construction still underway. As I moved through the massive structure with its 52 meter tower in the center, I read through the signage describing each of the areas’ usage.
The ground floor of the Keep has wells and the remains of a large fireplace, 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.
The second floor was occupied by the bedchamber of the King, and has decorations added by Charles V of France when he rebuilt it from 1367–38. The walls were originally covered with oak panels, and the vaulted ceiling was decorated with sculpted keystones and consoles and painted flour-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 paneling 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.
After Charles death, it remained a place of refuge for future kings, eventually converting to a prison and finally, a military installment. In fact, the most interesting portions of the keep were one of the areas used for the restraint of prisoners. In this area, I spotted many signatures etched onto the walls and the remains of murals painted on the walls by these prisoners, the most beautiful being those completed by Monseigneur Boulogne, confessor of Napoleon I, imprisoned on his orders. This room was also used to later keep the Comte de Mirabeau, who spent three years imprisoned at Vincennes where he wrote about the abuses of the royal warrant. Other famous prisoners included Denis Diderot (1713-1784), François-Vincent Raspail (1794-1878), the Marquis de Sade (1777-1784).
My tour of the Keep complete, I headed across to Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes. Having been to the beautiful chapel of Sainte Chapelle in Paris’ Ile de Cite, I was curious to see how they would compare.
Conceived by Charles V as his dream to add an exceptional religious monument to the fortress and a place to house the relics of the Passion of Christ, he did not live to see its culmination. With construction beginning in 1379, it still remained unfinished in the 16th century. King Francois I, a frequent resident, resolved to bring it to its completion in 1520, to celebrate the birth of his son and heir. Upon his death, Henry II of France resumed construction, completing the vaults and overseeing the addition of woodwork and stained glass with its completion in 1552.
While both are built in the Gothic style and organized in the same manner, this one seemed much more narrow and more brightly lit. Devoid of seating or ornamentation aside from the windows and the altar, it was a clear view of the sole internal space, especially from the rear choir loft, in contrast to Sainte Chapelle on the Ile de la Cite having two levels, upper for the King and his family and the lower for ordinary members of the court.
The sacristy, a separate two story structure, is attached to the chapel at the oratory of the King on the north side of the chapel and a stunning funerary monument of the Duke of Enghien can be found inside as well.
Exiting the Chapel I headed through the arches into the courtyard of the Pavilions of the King and Queen. A beautiful, open and grassy space each building, the King’s Pavilion on the southwest corner and the Queen’s opposite.
The King’s Pavilion was constructed between 1610 and 1617 by Louis XVIII and modified over the years to enlarge the structure. Consisting of three stories with five rooms for the King, his apartment looked our west over the gardens. Today, parts of the King’s Pavilion ceiling can be found in the Egyptian collection of the Louvre Museum.
The Queen’s Pavilion was construction many years later, from 1658 to 1660 and followed the same basic design as the King’s structure, however, instead of a garden view, it overlooked the courtyard. As the Germans stored explosives in the two pavilions and these caught fire after an explosion, the building fell in to disrepair.
On this visit, I was able to visit the King’s Pavilion, which houses an exhibition of the Fortresses of the Emperor depicting Napoleon and his military engineers. Personal possessions, artillery, portraits, models and other objects were found on the second floor and although the signage was in French, it was nice to see part of the interior of the building.
As the day was winding to a close and the temperature started to drop, I decided that my exploration of Chateau de Vincennes was at its end. Making my way back to the entrance gate, I headed back to the metro with the same name…
Chateau de Vincennes.
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Chateau de Vincennes
- https://www.chateau-de-vincennes.fr/
- Address: Avenue de Paris, Vincennes, FR 94300
- Hours: 1000-1700, daily
- Admission: 9,5€