Château de Bagnolet, Paris

Château de Bagnolet, Paris
Bagnolet, Engraving by .
General information
Type	Château
Architectural style	French Baroque
Construction started	17th century
Completed	1738

The Château de Bagnolet was a château situated in the Paris suburb of Bagnolet, France, 5.2 km from the center of the capital. The property was part of the biens de la Maison d'Orléans, private property of the House of Orléans from 1719 till 1769.

The original château was constructed in the 17th century by Marie de Bourbon, Countess of Soissons and Princess of Carignano after her marriage to Prince Thomas Francis of Savoy. At her death in 1692, aged 86, the property was acquired by the fermier général,François Le Juge.

François Le Juge owned the property until 12 March 1719 when Philippe d'Orléans, (Regent of France during the minority of Louis XV), acquired it.

The Régent gave the château de Bagnolet to his wife, Françoise Marie de Bourbon, a Légitimée de France, daughter of Louis XIV and his mistress, Madame de Montespan. The Palais-Royal in Paris was the Duke of Orléans' official residence.

The Duchess of Orléans made Bagnolet her favourite residence, it becoming her property as a gift from her husband. She had the architect Claude Desgots (grand-nephew of André Le Nôtre) add two large wings to the building; she also had the park redesigned.

In the park she commissioned the construction of follies; small ornamental pavilions. There were at least four such constructions: the Wood House, the Gazebo, the Hermitage and the Orangerie. Only the Hermitage exists today. There was a formal Jardin à la française and a larger English garden.