A little history of Auvers castle

Auvers is a small village which is now famous, because artists like Van Gogh came here to paint. Auvers castle nowadays houses Impressionist's museum.

An Italian called Zanobi Lioni, a very rich man, was Mary of Medici's secretary. He put up the castle in 1635.

At that time, this was only a small house surrounded by huge gardens and a vegetable plot.

In 1662, Jean de Leyrit bought the estate: a very important lord, king's butler and paymaster. Auvers estate included a huge main building, a courtyard, a farmyard, gardens.

Leyrit fit out the apartments. In 1720, Jacques Duval d'Espréménil bought Auvers. He was India Company's director in Lorient (Morbihan, Brittany).

But he was often far from his Auvers castle, so he gave it to one of his son. But the castle was abandoned a long time, it had to be restored.

The son kept the Louis XIII style front and he rebuilt the south one with two wings. When the building works ended, he sold his castle in 1765 to prince Louis-François of Bourbon-Conti.

Then it fell to Louis-Claude Chéron in 1787. In 1987, Oise county council bought the castle and restored it. The orangery was raised, the castle's framework finished, gardens re-laid out.