Abbaye royale de Chaalis

In a romantic park in the heart of the forest between Ile-de-Frances and Picardy are the ruins of the Abbey de Chaalis. The remains of the abbey church appear from a clearing. Completed at the turn of the 13th century, it was part of the largest Cistercian monastery and once had a far-reaching spiritual influence. Saint Louis visited the monastery to participate in the monastic life. The Capetonians also had a special bond with this church, which earned them the coveted title of royal monastery. During the Renaissance, Cardinal Hippolyte d'Este, a friend of Francois I, attracted many renowned Italian artists to the monastery, including the painter Primatice, who shortly before renovated the frescoes in the Saint Marie Chapel and once again revealed their beauty, and the architect Serlio, who designed the pewter-like wall around the rose garden. In the 18th century Jean Aubert, architect of the Grandes Ècuries in Chantilly, was commissioned to renovate the monastery buildings. However, the church and the cloister were destroyed during the revolution, and the classical building was the only one that remained intact.
Throughout the 19th century, the successive owners converted this unforgettable building into a castle. It was here that Nélie Jacquemart, widow of the banker Édouard André, accumulated some of the works of art she collected. After her death in 1912, she left all her pieces to the Institut de France on condition that her two residences would be opened to the public. The last stop is a visit to the Museum of Painting and Sculpture. Here, works by former Italian painters, such as Giotto, are exhibited alongside works by French, Flemish and Danish artists from the 17th and 18th centuries. The museum also has souvenirs and manuscripts of Jean Jacques Rousseau, collected by Girardin Marquises. These came into the possession of the museum in 1923.