On this guided tour of the Château de Chantilly, let us tell you the story of a magical reception. In the 17th century, to impress the Sun King, the Prince of Condé asked Vatel to organize a lavish party for him at Chantilly...
Visit Chantilly Domain has always belonged to princely dynasties close to, but also rivaling, royal power. Thus, in 1643, the Bourbon-Condé family became its owners. Louis II de Bourbon-Condé (1621-1686), says the Grand Condé, then launched major renovations in the castle park, which he entrusted to André Le Nôtre, the royal gardener Palace of Versailles. The Château de Chantilly, ...then becomes a major center of social and intellectual life of the era. Personalities such as La Fontaine, Bossuet, as well as Madame de La Fayette, Madame de Sévigné, and Molière stayed there.
During this Guided tour of the Château de Chantilly, Let me tell you the story of a magical reception that turned into a tragedy.
On April 21, 1671, the Great Condé invited the Sun King and the 3,000 members of the court of Versailles for a sumptuous 3-day feast at Château de Chantilly. He then calls on François Vatel, French pastry chef, caterer, steward, and hotel manager known for having been in the service of Nicolas Fouquet at château de Vaux-le-Vicomte.
Vatel organizes memorable party Tons of food, fish, shellfish, as well as game and mountains of desserts, arrive from all over the country. He works for 12 consecutive days, without sleeping. Unfortunately, some unforeseen events occur during the feast. Indeed, 75 uninvited guests show up, and the roast runs out. Vatel then thinks he will lose his honor. Finally, on the last day of the feast, the fish order is delayed. At 8 in the morning, only 2 baskets have arrived. Desperate, Vatel goes up to his room and commits suicide... He was 40 years old.
Visit guided tour of Chantilly Castle thus offers you an immersion in history but also in art thanks to the impressive collection of masterpieces and precious manuscripts amassed by Henri d'Orléans. To this day, the Condé Museum is the second collection of old paintings in France, after that of the Louvre Museum.