A frame by Gustave Eiffel, stained glass windows by Daniel Buren, sculptures by Bourdelle...: by bringing together these very different arts and styles, this former 14th century fortified castle is definitely unique. Located 1h30 from Paris, the site is classified as a historical monument, making the discovery of the Valois region, land of the kings of France, absolutely unmissable.
Built in the 14th century by the brother of King Charles VI, the medieval fortress is located in the heart of the Oise, between the imperial palace of Compiègne and the castle of Pierrefonds. Walls, fortified enclosure, machicolations, thick walls, covered ways, keep...: the first defensive vocation of the site is not in doubt, a tower even testifies to the passage of Jeanne D'Arc in Vez when she raised an army against the Duke of Burgundy.
In 1890, the castle and its keep were in bad condition when a geologist entrepreneur bought them and started, with Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, their restoration. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1904, this jewel of the Automne Valley has, since the end of the 19th century, called upon the great minds of its time: a room was designed by Gustave Eiffel and the chapel houses works by the sculptor Frémiet. Its gardens are also classified as remarkable and house some fifteen monumental works, including several by Antoine Bourdelle.
Sculptures, paintings, stained glass windows...: the greatest artists of today continue this approach by decorating the different spaces, such as Daniel Buren and his colorful stained-glass windows in the chapel, Sol LeWitt and his frescoes in the dungeon's dining room or Jacques Garcia and his (re)decoration of the castle's library. After Picasso and Caesar, the site continues to bring together different eras and styles and has become, over time, a popular meeting place for contemporary art lovers. For history buffs, the former residence of King Philippe-Auguste is also worth a visit with its chapel with a remarkable tympanum and crypt and, in the garden created in 1989 by landscape architect Pascal Cribier, the four-lobed arrangement of plants inspired by medieval iconography. In this garden, there is also a water mirror where the ruins of the old dwelling are reflected: a beautiful example of a bridge between past and present and a concrete illustration of the philosophy of this place that inspired Alexandre Dumas.
To learn more and prepare your visit (reopening planned for June 17, 2023), visit this site. Note that, after the Centre Pompidou and its important retrospective, it is the sculptor Germaine Richier who will be highlighted at the Donjon de Dez in 2023 with about fifteen sculptures to be admired on site this summer.
Valerie from Comme des Français
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