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Come and discover the château of La Motte-Tilly near Provins, a perfect example of an 18th-century property. Be won over by the intimate atmosphere and the peace and quiet of its vast gardens sloping down to a bend in the river Seine.
Visiting La Motte-Tilly château
• The Enlightenment reborn. The last owners of the château, Count Gérard de Rohan-Chabot and his daughter, the Marquise de Maillé, restored, reproduced and recreated this comfortable and elegant residence between 1910 and 1970. Their presence may be felt via the arrangements of rare furniture and family souvenirs set amidst the precious decorations. A cabinet of curiosities presents ‘all the painting methods that exist’, with remarkable objects in marble marquetry, paper lace, or reverse glass paintings.
• 60 hectares of grounds. The terraces slope gently down to the water mirror where there is a long perspective to the Seine and beyond. A regular garden with straight lines is found alongside English-style grounds. A linden tree trail has 73 different varieties of this species, after which the estate is named. The word ‘Tilly’ comes from the Latin tilia, meaning linden.
Understanding La Motte-Tilly château
• Neoclassical architecture of a summer residence. In 1754, Abbot Joseph Terray, the future Controller-General of Finances for Louis XV, became the lord of La Motte-Tilly, and had the old feudal castle demolished to build the current residence. It is north-facing to make it cooler.
