Rue de Sceaux

Nestled quietly in Le Plessis-Robinson, Rue de Sceaux whispers tales of a bygone era. Rue de Sceaux isn’t just a street. It’s a thread connecting us to the grand Château de Sceaux. This magnificent estate, a short distance from our Rue de Sceaux, once belonged to Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis XIV’s finance minister. Imagine the scene in 1670. Colbert, having witnessed the downfall of Nicolas Fouquet over his opulent Château Vaux-Le-Vicomte, decides to build his own grand residence. He enlists the best architects, the Perrault brothers and Antoine Lepautre, and even snags the king’s own painter and designer, Charles Le Brun. Years later, Colbert’s son, also a Jean-Baptiste Colbert, hires André Le Nôtre, the mastermind behind the gardens of Versailles, to create a park worthy of his family’s legacy. Rue de Sceaux, in its quiet way, bears witness to this history. It’s a pathway, not just of cobblestones, but of stories. The original Château de Sceaux, sadly, didn’t survive the French Revolution. It was confiscated, sold, and eventually demolished. Yet, the spirit of the place lived on. The outbuildings, like the Pavillon de l’Aurore with its stunning Le Brun ceiling depicting Aurore (allegorically representing Colbert) awaiting Louis XIV (the Sun King), remained. The park, too, retained the skeletal structure of Le Nôtre’s grand design. Later, a new château was built in the Louis XIII style, and the grounds were restored to their former glory. Today, Rue de Sceaux offers a tranquil escape from the bustling city, while still echoing with the grandeur of its past. It reminds us that even in quiet corners, history can leave its mark. Rue de Sceaux, an unassuming street with a connection to a magnificent past.