Auvergne

Chateau de Cadillac

Chateau de Cadillac

• Monument

Overlooking the Garonne river and the bastide de Cadillac, the castle of the Dukes of Epernon, a prime example of early 17th century architecture, was an impressive monument in its day, and it rivaled royal properties. Of the richly decorated castle built by the Duke of Epernon (1554-1642), all that remains is the main building with its two wings at right angles, the courtyard and the garden. Inside, there are monumental marble fireplaces with carved figures, painted ceilings from the 17th century and tapestries. This decoration gives a good idea of the splendor of the receptions given in honor of the visits of Henri IV, Louis XIII and Louis XIV.

The abbey of Sauve-Majeure

The abbey of Sauve-Majeure Monument The abbey of Sauve-Majeure stands in the middle of the Bordeaux wine-growing region called l’Entre-deux-Mers at a place which used to be called “Silva Major” (large forest). This Benedictine abbey was founded in 1079 and was rebuilt in the 13th century. […]

Villa Savoye a Poissy

Villa Savoye a Poissy

Chateau de Vincennes

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Monument

Chateau de Rambouillet

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• The Monument

The castle of Rambouillet is surrounded by a 20,000-acre forest, which is what remains of the former forest of the Yveline region.

From the time it was a fortress, the castle kept its bastions and its 14th-century keep, despite the numerous changes decided by the successive owners.

Chateau de Maisons

Chateau de Maisons

Château de Champs-sur-Marne

Château de Champs-sur-Marne

• Monument

Not far from Paris, Champs-sur-Marne is surrounded by a large track of land acquired by the financier Poisson de Bourvallais at the end of the reign of Louis XIV.
Built at the beginning of the 18th century, it belonged to the Dukes de La Vallière, who entertained the Encyclopédistes: Diderot, d’Alembert, Voltaire, etc. The Marquise de Pompadour rented it in 1757-1758. The castle was restored at the end of the 19th century by Count Louis Cahen d’Anvers. The house is situated in a long perspective with terraces running down to the Marne river.

Saint-Denis Basilica

• Monument

As early as the 5th century AD, Francs aristocrats were buried in the basilica, Dagobert was the first sovereign to be buried there in 639. Over the centuries the Saint-Denis basilica became the "King’s Cemetery". In the 13th century the necropolis character of Saint-Denis was reinforced by the introduction of sculpted tombs, their magnificent style was to evolve over the centuries. Today, 43 kings, 32 queens and 10 great servants of the kingdom of France repose in the basilica

Pantheon

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• The essence of the monument

At the summit of Saint Genevieve’s mount, at the heart of the Latin Quarter amongst a cluster of schools and universities, the Panthéon dominates Paris. For almost the entire 19th Century, well before the Eiffel Tower, Sacré Coeur de Montparnasse and the Montparnasse Tower, the Panthéon was the first building that visitors arriving in Paris from the provinces or from abroad would see, and from which it was possible to take in the entire city in one complete and exceptional view.

Conciergerie

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The monument