Indeed one of my favorite castles in France, and friends of the castle as well since 2009 !!. We love it, and been coming here since 1990 and then almost every year except period in the Morbihan! This is the wonderful Library or Cabinet des Livres of the Château de Chantilly !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
Chantilly is in the département 60 of the Oise, in the region of Hauts-de-France at the center of the forest of Chantilly, in the valley of the Nonette, and of course, in my belle France. Historically, it is part of the old region of Valois. Chantilly is located about 38 km north of Paris, and 66 km from my Versailles, now about 521 km from my house.
There is a huge library that was the biggest of its time with almost 9000 works including 1500 manuscripts; you can see the huge piece of the Les Trés Riche Heures du duc de Berry in facsimile format. The Cabinet des Livres or library is awesome a highlight to see here,
The Château of Chantilly preserves the book collections and archives brought together since the Middle Ages by the lords of Chantilly, such as the Dukes of Montmorency and the Princes of Bourbon-Condé. The last heir of the castle, Henri d’Orléans , Duke of Aumale, gave the Chantilly estate and all its treasures to the Institut de France in 1886. The “Prince of bibliophiles of his time”, the Duke d’Aumale acquired the Très Riches Heures from the Duke of Berry in 1856. The sumptuous Cabinet des Livres that he had arranged is today accessible to researchers and all visitors to the Condé Museum. It forms a setting for the manuscripts of the princes of Condé and the bibliophilic treasures of the Duke of Aumale.
Evoking the cabinets of scholars from the end of the 16C or the beginning of the 17C, the Cabinet des Livres is in reality a modern library, remarkably integrated into the ancient structure of the Petit Château built during the Renaissance. The two-story metal structure is representative of library architecture from the second half of the 19C. The staircase providing access to the passageway is invisible, hidden in the back library. The iron shelves are covered in leather to protect the bindings. The lighting formerly gas ,and the desks built into the furniture, the armchairs equipped with lecterns or tablets, all contribute to the comfort of reading and the safety of the collections. The bust of the Grand Condé draws the eye to the fireplace, while the coats of arms of his comrades-in-arms adorn the arches of the coffered ceiling. The Duke of Aumale had particular admiration for the Grand Condé to whom he devoted an important historical study. Aumale’s research on the princes of Condé guided a large part of the acquisitions such as, in 1851, the purchase of the 4000 mazarinades from the Monmerqué collection. The Cabinet des Livres was one of the favorite pieces of the Duke of Aumale. painting by Gabriel Ferrier represents him at the end of his life actively working on the catalog of his manuscripts, with his friend and former tutor, Cuvillier-Fleury, who assisted him in his acquisitions of works. The Library serves today as the exhibition hall of the bibliophilic treasures of the Duke of Aumale. Three to four exhibitions take place each year. Sublime !!!
The official Château de Chantilly Cabinet des Livres or library: https://chateaudechantilly.fr/en/chateau/the-reading-room/
The Chantilly-Senlis Tourist office on the castle: https://www.chantilly-senlis-tourisme.com/en/patrimoine/chateau-de-chantilly/
The Oise dept 60 tourist office on the castle: https://www.oisetourisme.com/visiter/les-incontournables/le-chateau-de-chantilly/
There you go folks another wonder of my belle France waiting for all to visit it, is a must, I give you on this post the wonderful library of the Château de Chantilly ! Again, hope you enjoy the post as I
And remember, happy travels,good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 