Château de Chantilly and Senlis

[French Mystique Tours]

With cooler weather on the way I decided to take advantage of one of the last warm days of autumn, as well as the fact that it was peak foliage season, to visit Chantilly and Senlis. I had been to Chantilly before but had never been to Senlis and was looking forward to my visit based on photos I had seen. Since I had my bike I was also planning on exploring the countryside and towns and villages in between these places. It was a gray and overcast day but there was no rain in the forecast so I got off the train with my bike and pedaled through Chantilly to start the ride. I'll get to the pictures of Chantilly at the end of the report and start here, crossing the Nonette River.




After crossing the river I arrived in Vineuil-Saint-Firmin, a posh and polished little village of some 1,400 inhabitants whose luster likely is due to its proximity to Chantilly.










I had a rough route planned to get to Senlis but I came across a bike trail and decided to follow it to see where it went.






The bike trail took me past a golf course (which I later discovered is rated one of Europe's 15 best golf courses) and then to an area of open fields that appeared to be dedicated to equestrian use. Seemed pretty logical since this area was also part of the domain of the nearby Château de Chantilly, whose illustrious and noble heritage permeates the environs with vestiges of by-gone wealth and grandeur and a continuing legacy of privileged pleasures. I was approaching the town of Apremont and riding through the fields of its polo club. The World Championship Polo match of 2004 took place here and it often hosts European matches. This place obviously attracts some pretty serious polo competition. Here is Le Carrefour de la table d'Apremont, an orientation table that also doubles as an aide to horse riders in dismounting.








Entering the village of Apremont.






Here's the local church, with elements dating from the 12th to 18th centuries.

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Apremont was a place for the manufacture of buttons starting in the late 17th century, in case you think that's important. I don't, so I pedaled on out of Apremont.




The foliage was at its peak as I encountered a forested section.




After an uphill climb through the forest I arrived in Aumont-en-Halatte.




Aumont sits on a butte above the surrounding plains. It has long been linked to pagan cults from the neolithic era through the Gallo-Roman epoque. The village sits snug on the southwestern edge of the Forest of Halatte, which has scattered remains of ancient stone tables, ''magic circles'', menhirs (standing stones) and other megalithic constructions, the earliest remnants of spiritual manifestation in the area. Later a Gallo-Roman temple was built and dedicated to healing deities as evidenced by the numerous ex-voto offerings found in local museums. Later the Christian cults arrived and built their churches, like the 15th to 16th century Eglise Saint-Gervais et Saint-Protais.



On the left of the above photo is the Monument to the War Dead. One of the first names on the monument is that of Nissim de Camondo, whose namesake is that of a well known museum in Paris. Having been a WWI French pilot shot down and buried in Alsace behind enemy lines, his remains could not be retrieved. His father, a banker and notable art collector with a residence in Aumont, being inconsolable over his loss bequeathed to France his hôtel-particulier in Paris and its rich collection of art on condition that the museum that housed it bear his son's name.















After leaving Aumont and riding through a brief stretch of forest I arrived at the rural outskirts of Senlis.

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I had visited Senlis the day before but was only able to take a few pictures since my camera battery died. I'll start with those photos and you'll notice the weather had been quite a bit better. Although Senlis no longer has a train station it still has its old Gare, which was rebuilt in 1922 after having been damaged during the war.






Senlis has a rich and lengthy history but is perhaps best known for its gothic cathedral. The presence of the cathedral is due to the fact that Senlis was the seat of a powerful bishopric and the early kings of France resided here, attracting other persons of power.









The cathedral represents one of the earliest examples of gothic architecture with the first phase of construction occurring from 1153 to 1191, followed by further embellishments in the 13th century. The roof collapsed in a fire in 1504 and during rebuilding its height was raised by over 5 meters and reconstructed in the flamboyant gothic style. Here's a look inside the cathedral.












Senlis was originally a Gallo-Roman town and in the 3rd century was surrounded by ramparts and 30 towers. Much of this infrastructure remains in the compact central core of the town. The town also boasts a Roman arena dating from the 1st century. The arena is on private property and can only be visited one day a month when guided tours of the town are being given. It can't even be viewed from the street so I'll have no pictures to show you of that. Continuing with my indepth historical analysis of Senlis I discovered a bunch of other stuff that happened after the Romans and then in the 12th century under King Philippe Auguste a new set of ramparts were built further out to encompass the growing settlement (not completed until 1287). Senlis was at the apogee of its glory at this time. It was a royal town and residence of kings and also possessed of a bishopric, a cathedral, 3 other churches and 3 abbeys as well as being a center for the trade of wool and leather. That's enough about the history for now and anyway, the medieval kind of feeling is what gives the town its ambiance so it's what's most relevant to the towns prominence. Lots of windy cobbled streets, ancient timbered buildings, notable stone buildings for the notable people, gothic churches, ramparts and all the other accroutrements of medieval times that spring to mind when one imagines this epoque. No wonder it's been the scene for so many movies depicting those times of lords and ladies and armor and swordfights and such.

I got a map at the tourist office that outlines a tourist trail through town and followed it around on my bike. The trail starts inside the Roman ramparts on the grounds of the Priory of Saint Maurice, founded in 1262 by Saint Louis.




Speaking of the Roman ramparts, here they are.












Leaving the priory grounds I branched out into the network of tiny cobbled streets and lanes both inside and just outside the ramparts.

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Cobbled streets are very pretty to look at but they really have very little practical purpose. If you think driving a car over bumpy cobbles can be uncomfortable try riding over them on a bike.
















I left the part of the tourist trail near the Roman ramparts and moved slightly south into the mostly 15th through 18th century part of town. Thankfully there were sections of smoother cobbles in some of the streets.




From this point on I pretty much stuck exactly to the tourist trail so here's my step by step documentation of its remainder.




Looking down rue Sainte-Geneviève.




Rue du Haubergier.




Rue des Cordeliers.






Rue Vielle de Paris, the primary north-south axis through town.




Next I climbed onto the medieval ramparts and rode my bike along the old walkway.

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Climbing down from the walkway the ramparts turn into a wide lane. The rampart in this section is a large, wide berm of earth flanked on its outer side by a stone wall. You can see the top of the rampart wall on the right.








Moving back towards town away from the ramparts I arrived at several streets that were described in the tourist brochure as ''Les ruelles pittoresques'' (the quaint streets).






Here's the Royal Abbey of Saint Vincent, founded in 1066 by the queen Anne de Kiev. The present buidings date mostly from the 13th to 17th century and after The Revolution it became a military hospital and later a spinning mill. It is now a private high school.




Rue de Meaux.






Climbing another set of stairs brought me back up onto another wide section of ramparts.




Here's the Monument de l'amitié franco-marocaine. The artist is Paul Landowski, a noted 20th century sculptor responsible for several war monuments but best known for his statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.




Rue Bellon heading back to central Senlis.




Place de la Halle.

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Place Henri IV, formerly the Place du Change and an important center of commerce in medieval times.












I arrived back at the ramparts, which were wide enough here to accommodate a two lane road.








I finished up the tourist trail riding along a wide boulevard just outside where the ramparts once stood.




Having finished my visit of Senlis I made my way out of town to visit the villages and countryside on my way to Chantilly.




On the outskirts of Senlis every now and then I had to choose between riding through a modern development or taking a little path without knowing where it leads. In such cases I always opt for taking a chance on getting lost.




I eventually made my way to the road I wanted.

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Entering Avilly-Saint-Léonard.




They've got the obligatory 12th century church.










Adjacent to Avilly is the village of Corteuil.




The route between Senlis and Chantilly runs along the Nonette River.






The village church is a little newer than in Avilly, only dating to the 13th as opposed to the 12th century.






More countryside.

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Here's Avilly, which is just the western extension of Avilly- Saint-Léonard.










I knew from looking at my map that at this point in my ride I might have an option of taking a trail through the woods as opposed to riding on the road. I kept my eyes peeled for a bike trail and there it was.











Exiting the woods I could tell I was approaching the grounds of the Château de Chantilly.

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Chantilly is known as the Town of Princes and it had always been a gathering spot for the nobles/royals. The origin of Chantilly's grandeur starts in the 13th century when a powerful lord established his seigneury here and built the first château, a fortress at the time. Historically speaking, a bunch of stuff happened after this and then in 1673 Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé built a new road called Gouvieux. The land around the road attracted commerce and the expanding population served the needs of the expanding château. The Condé dynasty became established and are responsible for much of the grandeur we see in Chantilly today, the bulk of which was the work of Louis IV Henri de Bourbon-Condé starting from around 1720, who built The Grand Stables. The château domain was broken up and sold off during the Revolution but another Condé reacquired the château and bits of its former domain in 1815. Shortly after in 1834 The Hippodrome was established and various equestrian clubs and activities sprang up. It was from this time onward that Chantilly acquired its world renowned equestrian status.

Chantilly is also noted for its famous Black Chantilly Lace, which trimmed ladies shawls, sunshades and such during the Age of Enlightenment, its porcelain and of course its famous cream. Anyone who loves sweets might know about Crème Chantilly (or whipped cream).

That's enough history for now so let's get back to the report. As you saw earlier in the report, equestrian activity is a popular pastime in the area and its origins are directly linked to the presence of the Château de Chantilly, or more particularly, its Grandes Ecuries (Grand Horse Stables). Due to the sandy soil, adapted to the fragile thoroughbred legs, Chantilly has become the biggest horse training center in the world. Here are The Grand Stables.




Associated with the stables is The Living Horse Museum, which is one of the most noted museums in the world pertaining to horses. On the first Sunday or every month from February to November the museum does equestrian shows. Of course these are highly elaborate shows and costumes on the horses and humans are top notch.

However, the star attraction in Chantilly is the château.




A bit more about the château now. You know it's been around since the 13th century but its first epoque of prominence came under the ownership of Le Connétable Anne de Montmorency, who despite his ladylike first name was in fact a man and close companion in arms to kings Francis I and Henry II. It was in the mid 16th century he undertook the first great works and renovations at the château. The Montmorency dynasty lost control of the château in 1632 when it was confiscated by Louis XIII for reason of their revolt against him. In 1643 the Condé dynasty, first cousins of the Royals, acquire the château. They employ Le Nôtre and Mansart as garden designer and architect, both of whom were in the employ of Louis XIV at Versailles, and the next great phase of renovation occurs.

I've given you enough info about the history of the château so I'll tell you a bit about what you can visit today. There are the usual apartments inside the château, richly decorated to reflect their epoque, as well as a renowned museum and library. It's been a while since I was inside the château but what I like about it is the fact that it is as richly decorated and opulent as Versailles (though not as grand or over the top) but has none of the crowd problems. The apartments and galleries are spectacular and done up in decor from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The château houses The Condé Museum, which has the second largest collection of pre-1850 paintings in France (the largest being The Louvre). In addition to the paintings there are the usual other objects of art such as tapestries, precious vessels etc. The museum was created in 1886 when Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Amaule bequeathed to the state his château and its art collections. The museum is full of masterpieces and rare objects which I'm not going to tell you about.

The château also has a renowned library which is the official archives of the château. It is full of the collections and writings of the seigneurs of the château from the 11th to the 19th century. The château and its library have a history of attracting notable writers, among them Jean de la Fontaine, Racine, Molière, Madame de Sévigné, Châteaubriand, Proust etc. The collection consists of some 44,000 books and 1,500 manuscript and thousands of letters. Back to the photos.










There is an admission fee to the château and its grounds so I only have photos from the street.








Finishing up my photo shoot of the château I moved on towards town.




Here are some more shots of the horse stables.

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Then I did a little ride around town.










It was getting late in the day and I had seen everything I wanted so I headed for the train station. On the way I saw some dirt trails through forested sections and decided to see if they'd bring me to the train station.








After a long day of riding it's nice to be pampered a bit and the French rail company granted me this luxury on my return trip to Paris in the form of one of their new Bomardier trains. I love these trains. They're so clean, sleek, spacious and modern and they're rather plush to boot. Even better is that there was almost no one else with me on the train ride back to Paris. Let's check out the Bomardier.


Very convenient for bikes.




Each cabin has one of these lounge like areas. If I'm tired after a really long ride I like to stretch out and sleep on the couch.




Bathroom, you ask? Why yes, certainly.






Time to take a seat and enjoy the brief 25 minute ride back to Paris. It's been a pleasure riding with you all.