What secrets lie along the Allée du Butard? This path whispers tales of kings and emperors of France. It saw revolution and war. It even sheltered figures caught in scandalous affairs.
The Allée du Butard leads to the Pavillon du Butard. This hunting lodge sits in the Forêt de Fausses-Reposes. It is near La Celle-Saint-Cloud. Ange-Jacques Gabriel designed it for Louis XV. Construction spanned from 1750 to 1754.
During the French Revolution, François-Nicolas Périgon seized the Pavillon du Butard. He was a notary in Paris. On June 27 1794, it became state property.
Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais acquired it in 1802. She planned to merge it with her Malmaison estate. However, her divorce from Napoleon in 1809 returned it to state hands.
Charles X and Emperor Napoleon III also enjoyed it. Prussians occupied it during the Franco-Prussian War. The Pavillon du Butard became a monument historique on August 29 1927. It remains state property to this day.
King Louis XIV bought the Bois des Hubies in 1683. He purchased it from monks of the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. His intention was to integrate it into the park of Versailles. The Pavillon du Butard was once called “Pavillon des Hubies.”
The Pavillon du Butard included dependencies from 1752. These were a dairy, a cowshed, a stable, and a guardhouse. Louis XVI visited the pavillon for hunts.
The Pavillon du Butard was sold to François-Nicolas Périgon during the Revolution. Joséphine de Beauharnais acquired it later. After her divorce, it returned to state ownership.
Charles X hunted there during the Restoration. Later, Napoleon III modernized it in 1860. He hired architect Charles-Auguste Questel. Questel destroyed all dependencies except the guardhouse. He duplicated the guardhouse with an identical building.
Prussians occupied and ransacked the Pavillon du Butard during the Franco-Prussian War. They burned all the woodwork. The Administration des Eaux et Forêts managed the Pavillon after the Paris Commune. It fell into disrepair until the 1900s. Then it was leased to various personalities.
Around 1884, Armand Fallières offered the Pavillon to chemist Louis Pasteur. Pasteur instead chose the parc de Villeneuve-l’Étang.
Edmond Blanc leased it in the early 20th century. He was a racehorse owner and mayor of La Celle. He used the surrounding land for his broodmares. In 1911, he sublet the Pavillon to couturier Paul Poiret. Poiret renovated the building and decorated the interior. The Poiret family hosted concerts and parties there until 1917. Denise Poiret organized a themed party called Les Festes de Bacchus au Butard in 1912. Three hundred costumed guests attended. Maurice Métayer was the next tenant.
In 1933, the Société du Vieux Marly rented it. They planned to establish a museum. But they left during World War II after a bomb damaged the building.
After the Liberation, the Pavillon sheltered figures associated with the occupation. This included writer Jacques Chardonne. Later, it was used by presidents of the Assemblée Nationale. In 1959, it was linked to the “ballets roses” affair. André Le Troquer was implicated.
The Office national des forêts manages the Pavillon today. In , the SPPEF challenged the sale of the Pavillon. In 2019, the Centre des Monuments Nationaux considered purchasing it.
The Pavillon du Butard features a stone gate framed by four pillars. A paved courtyard leads to the building. The frontispiece shows a hunting scene. The exterior decoration remains simple.
Inside, the floor is covered with black and white checkered tiles. A fireplace and mahogany corner pieces decorate the space. The room retains its original proportions. A service door was added in 1860.
To the left of the vestibule is a cabinet. It features a writing table, armchairs, and a commode. To the right is a room for warming food and drinks. It contains a fireplace, a stove, and a fir table. It became a small living room in 1860.
Beyond the vestibule is a circular salon. Four windows alternate with doors. A fireplace with a mirror stands opposite. The ceiling is blue with a frieze of cupids. Balconies offer views of the woods.
The entresol has three rooms for relaxation. These low-ceilinged rooms are lit by low windows. Two of the rooms are called Salon vert and Salon fleuri.