Original construction 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, between 1528 and 1531, for
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 de Montmorency, it passed to his nephew, the
Grand Condé, who inherited it through his mother,
Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency.
Molière's play
Les Précieuses ridicules received its first performance here in 1659.
Madame de Sévigné relates in her memoirs that when King
Louis XIV visited there in 1671,
François Vatel, the ''maître d'hôtel'' to the Grand Condé, committed suicide when he feared the fish would be served late. The collection includes important works of the cabinetmaker
André-Charles Boulle.
Revolution and aftermath The original mansion was destroyed during the French Revolution. It was repaired modestly by
Louis Henri II, Prince of Condé, but the entire property was confiscated from the
Orléans family between 1853 and 1872, during which interval it was owned by
Coutts, an English bank. Chantilly was entirely rebuilt, between 1875 and 1882, by
Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale (1822–1897). The new château met with mixed reviews.
Boni de Castellane summed up one line of thought: "What is today styled a marvel is one of the saddest specimens of the architecture of our era — one enters on the second floor and descends to the salons". In 1889, the Chateau was bequeathed to the Institut de France as a price for the Duc d'Aumale's return from political exile.
21st century restoration The
World Monuments Fund included the site in the
1998 World Monuments Watch to call attention to water infiltration and high humidity in the
Galerie des Actions de Monsieur le Prince and again in the
2002 World Monuments Watch due to the precarious condition of the entire estate. Funding for restoration work was provided from various sources, including
American Express and the
Generali Group. Subsequently, in response to an appeal for the restoration of the château,
The Aga Khan donated €40 million, accounting for more than half of the €70 million needed by the Institut de France to complete the project. In 2008, the
World Monuments Fund completed the restoration of the Grande Singerie, a salon with paintings on the walls of
monkeys engaged in human activities, once a fashionable salon motif, but with few examples surviving today. ==Musée Condé==