A Château Full of Secrets

For Visitors Tired Of Versailles, a Magnificent And (Currently) Less Well-Known Château South-East Of Paris Awaits. Let’s Visit Vaux-le-Vicomte!

Go for a drive south-east of Paris, through the rolling countryside of Seine-et- Marne, and it’s quite easy to miss this place. As tiny villages slip away, suddenly – with no warning – appears the most remarkable of châteaux. Vaux-le-Vicomte is the name of this elegant property, which lies near the town of Melun, 55 kilometres from the French capital. It is billed as a tranquil alternative to Versailles; but, as I am about to discover, it is by no means less interesting. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Versailles boasts a rich history and has its fair share of political scandals, but the same can be also said of Vaux-le-Vicomte. It was little more than a modestly sized château when Nicolas Fouquet bought it in 1641. In 1657, he became Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry under Louis XIV; eager to impress the king, Fouquet commissioned architects Louis Le Vau and André Le Nôtre, and painter Charles Le Brun to transform Vaux-le-Vicomte into a dazzling delight.

Sadly, Fouquet did anything but impress the king, who became suspicious of his minister’s extravagance. Matters came to a head on 17 August 1661 when Fouquet organised a lavish fête at the château for the king. Weeks later, he was arrested for misappropriating public money to fund the grandiose property and was later imprisoned for life on the orders of Louis XIV.

While Vaux-le-Vicomte might not have the epic proportions of Versailles, there is still plenty here to take your breath away. Immediately striking is its layout along a four-kilometre axis: and it emerges out of nowhere like a film set. I stand at the front gates and marvel at the château’s front facade, which looks as if it is at the centre of a mise-en-scène. The overwhelming feeling is of transparency, allowing visitors to look directly through the château’s main entrance-hall, all the way to an imposing statue of Hercules, at the far end of the gardens.

Fouquet’s dazzling property contains a number of lavish rooms spread across the ground and first floors, furnished with period furniture, elegant tapestries and numerous bronze busts. But, architecturally, Vaux-le-Vicomte is different from other châteaux of the era. Here, chief architect Le Vau introduced a new concept: rather than placing rooms on top of one another, he decided to position them side by side, doubling a building’s width.

Such a change meant the traditional tall, straight roof had to be altered to account for the greater width, leading to the introduction of the hipped style which would thereafter define Le Vau’s architecture. This new structure allowed for greater freedom in terms of room layout, and created additional space (enough for two further suites) on the ground floor, which meant grand ceremonies could be accommodated.

One of the many impressive rooms is the Grand Salon. “Look up!” shouts my guide, Hortense. This large reception area, 19 metres long and 18 metres high, was considered unusual in 17th-century France, with its idiosyncratically oval proportions. It is also remarkably plain. The simple reason, my guide tells me, is that Le Brun ran out of time. The great artist had grand intentions for the dome’s ceiling: retrieved sketches show Le Brun wanted to mimic designs featured in the new Château de Versailles – signs of the zodiac; months and seasons; a giant serpent biting its tail; and the distinctive squirrel, selected by bouquet to be his animal-symbol in paintings. But all that covers it today is a blue sky with clouds and an eagle passing over them: a simple design commissioned by the property’s 19th-century owner.

From there, we pass into the Cabinet des Jeux, overlooking the gardens, which is decidedly light, thanks to the use of antique mirrors. It was in this sumptuous room, smothered floor-to-ceiling in gold, that Fouquet would receive guests.

On the east-facing wall hangs a painting in which a group of large cats are chasing a serpent and threatening a squirrel; an image thought to represent Fouquet’s unwavering loyalty to the king during the series of civil wars known as La Fronde.

Another notable scene is that of lion and lioness – symbolizing the king and queen mother – who are protecting the squirrel. The irony is obvious: it alludes to Fouquet’s firm, but erroneous, belief that he was guaranteed royal protection.

It is in this room that we meet Alexandre De Vogŭé, owner of the château, who (unlike Fouquet) has no qualms about chatting with hoi polloi. In his smart jeans and trainers, he looks quite chilled out. These remarkable rooms – and indeed the château as a whole – require (unsurprisingly) a lot of upkeep, Alexandre tells me. “It takes a tremendous amount of hard work, and we are fortunate to have such a dedicated team [of staff] committed to ensuring she [the château] looks her best,” he says.

What about the costs of maintaining Vaux-le-Vicomte in its full glory? “Back in 2013, we launched a ten-year plan and calculated that, by 2023, we would need around €13 million to carry out all of the work necessary to preserve the château and its surroundings,” he replies.

Fouquet’s incredible complacency and attempts to flatter Louis XIV further manifest themselves in the Chambre du Roi and the Chambre des Muses. The former was designed to be the king’s bedroom: this was a time when it was customary for all grand country residences to set aside a room for the monarch, who would travel regularly with his entourage. But His Majesty never stayed there. Poignantly, this bedroom, with its dazzling golden, sculpted ceiling and giant portrait of the king, is one of the chateau’s finest rooms.

The Chambre des Muses, Fouquet’s own bedroom, is equally appealing. Around the edge of the large ceiling are eight different muses, while a ninth, Clio, muse of history, takes pride of place in the centre. Hortense explains that this ceiling represents the triumph of fidelity over betrayal – yet another example of the lengths Fouquet would go to flatter himself and the king.

“I have a treat for you,” exclaims Hortense. We wander up to the first floor – past Fouquet’s ornately decorated private apartments littered with his favourite works of art, to a narrow, wooden staircase. This is the entrance to the dome that, at 25 metres high, offers panoramic views over the grounds.

Designed by André Le Nôtre, the gardens – stretching for nearly three kilometres – are the dominant structure at Vaux-le-Vicomte: a balanced mix of water fountains, chalk-coloured gravel walkways and patterned parterres that are more unified than those the architect went on to create at Versailles.

Optical illusion

“How long do you think it takes to reach that statue of Hercules over there?” Hortense asks. I hazard a guess of 20 minutes. “No, it’s actually 45 to 50,” she says. Why so far away? The answer lies in the laws of perspective that architectural genius Le Nôtre exploited to create the formal jardin à la française. The result serves as a stunning example of near-perfect harmony between nature and the man-made environment.

Le Nôtre made full use of the natural terrain to employ an optical illusion known as hidden distortion, making a number of elements throughout the garden appear closer than they actually are. It’s shown to best advantage atop the grand staircase, from where we enjoy a magnificent perspective of a garden that appears to reveal itself in one single glance. Here, the view is of symmetrical rows of manicured shrubs, grand fountains, perfect lawns and statues; but a closer look reveals the numerous optical elements involved.

For head gardener Patrick Borgeot, what Le Nôtre created was “not a useful garden, but one designed simply to be beautiful.” And we certainly find evidence to support this, as we continue our tour on an electronic golf-buggy – an innovation introduced by the De Vogŭé family a few years ago to ensure the grounds could be enjoyed by everyone.

Descending into the main part of the gardens, we notice that there is a series of tiered sections. A little further on lies a circular pool, which appears oval from the château staircase. The grand lawn leading to the statue of Hercules now reveals itself to be sloped, while an almost kilometre-long canal suddenly comes into view. This lies at the lowest point in the gardens, completely out of sight from the château’s grand staircase.

Standing next to the mighty Hercules, Patrick explains how the different elements in these magical gardens exemplify the preoccupation of the baroque period with moulding nature to human desires. In this case, the desires were those of Fouquet who, throughout this elegant estate, sought to demonstrate his power – an obsession which, as the philosopher Voltaire cleverly put it, led to his downfall on that fateful day in August 1661: “À 6 heures du soir, Fouquet était le roi de France, mais à deux heures du matin il n’etait plus rien.”

“So, do you like it?,” Hortense asks. “Yes, very much so,” I say. Who wrould have thought there was so much to enjoy inside a château and its gardens? There’s no doubt that Vaux-le-Vicomte gives Versailles a run for its money. And that’s a lesson to us all: the places we nearly pass by can be the most enchanting.

Christmas at Vaus-Le-Vicomte

Vaux-le-Vicomte is a fairy-tale place to be at any time of year; but visit during the festive season and you’ll be treated to extra sparkle. From the beginning of December onwards, the château is decked out in a wealth of festive decorations; the facade is illuminated from nightfall and the main courtyard lined with elegant Christmas trees. Inside, more than 5,000 twinkling ornaments add a flourish to the lavish interiors.

In 2015, Vaux-le-Vicomte celebrated the tenth anniversary of the festivities, when attractions included a children’s merry-go-round inside the château and a show combining theatre and dance. This year’s activities might not be quite so extravagant, but there will still be plenty of fun for all ages.

Plan Your Visit

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte is open daily until 2 November 2016, and at weekends and during school holidays (French Zone C) until the end of December. Guided tours are currently in French only, but multi-language audio-guides are available.

By car: The château is approximately 55km south-east of Paris.

By rail: There are hourly services from Paris Gare de l’Est to Verneuil-Étang, 16km north-east of the château. From the station, visitors can take the ‘Châteaubus’ shuttle running several times a day from April to November.