, an ancient
pavillon de chasse for
René I of Anjou.
Renaissance period During
the Renaissance, princes and great lords built
pavillons de chasse for their leisure in their forest estates. One was King
René of Anjou who, in the 15th century, built them in his states of
Anjou and
Provence. Notable examples are the
Château de Baugé in Anjou or
Gardanne in Provence. These pavilions were in the
Renaissance style and looked more like richly ornate
manor houses than princely castles or palaces. They were effectively second homes with a rustic appearance but with the comfort and decor worthy of the rank of their owners at the time, and designed by renowned architects attached to their court.
Francis I of France had
pavillons de chasse or
rendez-vous de chasse constructed in
Sologne and the
Loire Valley as well as in
Cognac where he built the . Later, Italian architects were employed to remodel the
pavillons de chasse into "sumptuous châteaux" of the
Italian Renaissance style.
Ancien Régime During the
Ancien Régime, interest in hunting lodges grew across Europe, especially in the
Holy Roman Empire, where the
Jagdschloss was prized by its nobility. Some of these hunting pavilions became famous, such as that of the
Palace of Versailles. In 1623,
Louis XIII decided to build a
pavillon de chasse in the village of
Versailles. From 1661, his successor and his son,
Louis XIV, seized with a real passion for this modest building, transformed it into a
château. Others became
manors or small
palaces, such as the
Pavillon du Butard in
La Celle-Saint-Cloud, the
Pavillon de la Muette in
Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the
La Lanterne in Versailles; others have become princely residences, manors or small castles, like that of
Désert de Retz in
Chambourcy. == Gallery ==