Imagine stepping back in time to the 17th century at Château de Mortefontaine. Built between 1600 and 1630 Château de Mortefontaine started as the vision of Philippe Hotman. He was the Seigneur de Plailly-Montmélian.
Château de Mortefontaine became the heart of the Marquisat de Plailly-Montmélian. It was officially established in 1654. The administrative seat remained in Plailly.
Now fast forward to the late 1700s. Louis Le Peletier inherited Château de Mortefontaine in 1770. He transformed the small park into an Anglo-Chinese garden. A stream was created and it became a series of small ponds. He added a Chinese pavilion an obelisk and even a valley of tombs. Animal statues decorated the grounds.
The French Revolution caused Louis Le Peletier to flee into exile. Joseph Duruey acquired the estate in 1790. He was soon executed. Joseph Bonaparte then bought Château de Mortefontaine in 1798.
Château de Mortefontaine became a social hotspot under Joseph Bonaparte. The treaty of friendship between France and the United States was signed here in 1800. It ended the Quasi-War. A grand celebration followed with 1200 guests. The preliminary discussions for the Peace of Amiens were also held here. Two significant weddings occurred here as well. Joachim Murat married Caroline Bonaparte. Prince Camille Borghèse married Pauline Bonaparte.
Joseph adored Château de Mortefontaine and often visited. He focused on improving the large park. He had about ten follies built including bridges towers and ruins. His wife Julie Clary lived at Château de Mortefontaine almost permanently. She preferred to stay out of the public eye because of her health.
Jacques Cellerier oversaw major renovations starting in 1808. To prevent confiscation after the fall of the Empire the estate was put in the name of Mme de Villeneuve. Joseph Bonaparte eventually sold Château de Mortefontaine.
In 1827 Louis-Henri Bourbon the last Prince de Condé bought it. His death three years later was mysterious. Rumors swirled about the cause of his death. His mistress Baroness de Feuchères inherited Château de Mortefontaine. Sophie Thanaron her goddaughter inherited it in 1840.
Sophie Corbin decided to sell the Grand Parc in 1894. The Duke of Gramont and his wife Marguerite de Rothschild bought it. They built the Château de Valliére in a neo-Gothic style.
In 1928 Louis-René de Gramont bought Château de Mortefontaine. It had fallen into disrepair. He renovated it. During World War II the Nazis occupied Château de Mortefontaine.
In 1949 Louis-René de Gramont sold Château de Mortefontaine to the Dominican Order. The order established a novitiate and a school. In 1985 Monsieur Ponthieu bought Château de Mortefontaine. He transformed it into a luxury hotel.
The hotel eventually closed. Today Château de Mortefontaine is a private residence again. The estate is divided. The château lost its park its follies and statues. However the gladiateur statue remains on the lawn. The chateau the entrance pavilions and the park are listed as historical monuments.
From royal weddings to secret treaties to scandalous deaths Château de Mortefontaine has seen it all.