Château de Chantilly

Château de Chantilly
The north-west façade
General information
Type	Château
Architectural style	Renaissance
Town or city	Chantilly
Country	France
Construction started	1358
Completed	1882
Design and construction
Architect	Jean Bullant, Honoré Daumet

The Château de Chantilly (pronounced: [ʃɑ.to də ʃɑ̃.ti.ji]) is a historic château located in the town of Chantilly, France.

The site comprises two attached buildings: the Petit Château built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency, and the Grand Château, which was destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s.

Owned by the Institut de France, the château houses the Musée Condé. It is one of the finest art galleries in France and is open to the public.

The estate's connection with the Montmorency family began in 1484. The first mansion (no longer in existence, now replaced by the Grand Château) was built in 1528–1531 for the Constable Anne de Montmorency by Pierre Chambiges. The Petit Château was also built for him, around 1560, probably by Jean Bullant. In 1632, after the death of Henri II, it passed to the Grand Condé who inherited it through his mother, Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency.

Several interesting pieces of history are associated with the château during the 17th century. Molière's play, Les Précieuses ridicules, received its first performance here in 1659. Madame de Sévigné relates in her memoirs that when Louis XIV visited in 1671, François Vatel, the maître d'hôtel to the Grand Condé, committed suicide when he feared the fish would be served late.