The château grew from the hôtel d'Aulnay, expanded from about 1570 for the Gondi family. Barthélemy Hervart bought it in 1655 and built in the Italian style. Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, bought it in 1658, and Antoine Le Pautre built his U-shaped wings. Jean Girard continued after 1679, and Jules Hardouin-Mansart added a grand staircase. The work was complete around 1701. The infobox lists French Baroque and Neo-Classical.
Marie-Antoinette bought it in 1785, and Richard Mique enlarged it for her in 1787 and 1788. The Galerie d'Apollon was 148 feet (45 m) long. Prussian shelling set it on fire on October 13, 1870, and the roofless walls were demolished in 1891.
Only outbuildings and the 460-hectare park survive.
Comments