Le Figaro: "Grand Trophée Dassault 2024 : au château de Tanlay, dans l'Yonne, l'harmonie au fil des siècles".

Château de Tanlay, in the Yonne region, an intact example of Renaissance and 17th-century architecture. Eric Sander

Gérault de Sèze readily recounts how he fell in love with Tanlay at first sight. After arriving by train at the small station (since disappeared) in this Yonne commune, a few kilometers from the Chablis vineyards, he first cycled up the majestic driveway lined by a double line of trees that leads to the château, nestled in the heart of the village. Although Tanlay was once a stronghold defending the lands of Burgundy, you can't see it from afar: it's a valley-bottom château that you discover with wonder, almost by surprise. " I was only 22 or 23 at the time. I was in love with Diane ; I immediately fell in love with her parents' château as I passed through the gates of this stone monster, a blend of power and grace ", recounts Gérault, who since 2019 has watched over the destiny of Tanlay's old stones with his wife.

Without this Parisian entrepreneur, this masterpiece of 16th and 17th century French architecture might well have been sold, following the death of Diane's father, Jehan de La Chauvinière, in 2012. The brothers and sisters of celle-ci had to be persuaded to give up their respective shares, so that the couple could be the only masters on board, and Tanlay (with its furniture, still in place, although still undivided) would remain in the family, as it had since 1704. Marguerite de Tanlay, the last Marquise de Tanlay, was in fact Diane's grandmother. Tanlay belongs to that group of magnificent châteaux built not for the king, but by the great administrators of royal finances," writes Claude Mignot, author of Château de Tanlay. Une beauté parfaite (Éditions de l'Esplanade). Many have been destroyed or seriously altered , but having remained in the hands of the same family since the early 18th century, Tanlay is almost intact. That's what makes it so precious.

In 1535, the former feudal estate of Tanlay became the property of Louise de Montmorency, widow of Marshal Gaspard de Coligny. From 1550 to 1558, her youngest son, François de Coligny d'Andelot, set about transforming the former château into a pleasure residence, with the financial support of his brother, Gaspard de Coligny, who had converted to the Reformation and become one of the military leaders of the Protestant party. It was at Tanlay that the latter decided to hold a council with his allies, in the so-called "Tour de la Ligue", where an astonishing fresco attributed to the Fontainebleau school can be admired, depicting the main figures of Catherine de Médicis and Henri II's court in the guise of Greek Olympian divinities. In 1642, Tanlay was sold to Michel Particelli d'Émery, Mazarin's superintendent of finance, who commissioned Pierre Le Muet, the architect of the Val-de-Grâce, to carry out major extension and embellishment work. Between 1642 and 1650, Le Muet had the right wing of the building built in a symmetrical U-shape, framing the main courtyard.

The decisive choice made by the architect and his client was to duplicate almost entirely what had been built at the time of François d'Andelot, at the risk of building a château of outdated architecture," explains Claude Mignot. However, for Particelli, the son of a merchant of Italian origin, completing a château begun by a Coligny meant joining one of the most illustrious lines of French nobility ". Le Muet was also responsible for the parterre and the 500-meter-long grand canal, whose perspective ends in a monumental nymphaeum. It was also Le Muet who introduced Rémy Vuibert to Particelli. The king's painter created the gallery at Tanlay, decorated with splendid trompe-l'œil grisailles. The estate was at the height of its prosperity. In 1704, it was sold to Jean Thévenin, advisor to Louis XIV and governor of Saint-Denis. A letter, signed with the seal of Louis XIV, confirms M. Thévenin as Marquis de Tanlay. It is preciously preserved in the château's archive room, in a dusty old cardboard box bearing the number 1 on the edge.

Gérault and Diane de Sèze next to the first Marquis de Tanlay, in the Grande Galerie decorated with trompe-l'œil grisailles by Rémy Vuibert. Eric Sander

Why, in this day and age, would anyone want to take on such an onerous chateau as Tanlay? It's a real life project," says Diane, striding energetically across the great courtyard of honor, with its cobblestones once trodden by generations of soldiers, men and women of power, diplomats, aesthetes and enthusiasts... The kind of heritage you can't deny or let fall into unknown hands. Especially since her parents, and before them her grandparents, worked passionately to preserve the family estate. When they inherited Tanlay in 1977, Jehan and Brigitte de La Chauvinière undertook a number of major projects, including the restoration of the roofs and west facade of the small entrance château, in pure Mannerist style; and, in 1995, the rescue of the nymphaeum, whose staircase and balusters were rebuilt. In March 1999, following flooding of the Armançon, part of the moat wall collapsed. In 2006, it was rebuilt over a length of 70 meters. Until a new flood in 2008 brought it down again!

By the time the torch was passed in 2019, however, the Château de Tanlay had not undergone any major work for ten years: the roofs of the dwelling were leaking, many pigeons had taken up residence there; the west gutter was pierced, window frames were missing, as were facing stones, notably on the cornices; the 7 kilometers of perimeter wall were covered in vegetation - even collapsed in some places - and several trees in the park were in a worrying state. " We approached Tanlay in 2019 with a certain humility. We had to take a step back and start by studying it," explains Gérault de Sèze. In addition to archival research, we launched a survey that took four months to complete. We also commissioned a master plan for the development, drawn up by Atelier Cairn and Paul Barnoud, chief architect of the Monuments Historiques. This enabled us to diagnose the building, rank the various health priorities and formalize our vision.

Restored in 2006, the moat wall failed to withstand flooding two years later. Personal collection

The most urgent need was for the moat wall, which had collapsed in 2008. In 2023 and 2024, Gérault and Diane de Sèze had the 75-meter-long moat wall rebuilt by teams from the Marquis company, named after the family of masons (the Marquisi) who came to Tanlay in the 17th century, "in the suitcases" of Particelli, to build the château; their descendants are still at work! A concrete counter-wall was built to ensure the solidity of the structure. Total cost: 1.3 million euros, 40% of which was funded by the Drac. The indefatigable Sèze family also gave the chapel a new lease of life, with a new dome roof, new stained-glass windows and new stucco work, as well as a complete overhaul of the famous Tour de la Ligue. The freeze-damaged facing stones of the rear drawbridge were replaced - " just before our daughter's wedding last summer ", says Diane de Sèze - and over 150 meters of the perimeter walls overlooking the village were restored.

" Our ambition is to pass on to our four children, as well as to our visitors, our passion for this monument that is both historic and family-owned, but also to entrust future generations with an estate that is sustainable and financially self-sufficient," continues Diane de Sèze. Hence the idea of making the gigantic outbuildings and stables, also built according to Le Muet plans, profitable. Their state of repair is a cause for concern. The Sèzes are preparing to restore them, and to develop a tourist reception and accommodation facility. Guests will be able to take advantage of the activities already available on the property (golf, fishing, cycling, horse riding...).

From next year," announces Gérault de Sèze, " we'll be starting the work, which will enable visitors to discover a Tanlay resolutely turned towards the future !

Chateaudetanlay.fr

Read the article on www.lefigaro.fr

By Ghislain de Montalembert and Eric Sander

Published October 20, 2024

For Le Figaro Magazine

The trophy room. Eric Sander

The library, just off the marquis's bedroom. Eric Sander

The chapel, located in the round tower jutting out from the moat, was given top priority for restoration. Eric Sander

The painted vault of the Cabinet de l'Olympe, attributed to the Fontainebleau school, in the tower known as the Ligue. Eric Sander