Paris1972-Versailles2003

I like to tell you about a lovely unique spot in Saint Germain en Laye. The wonderful beautiful City has many things to see and many in my blog already with many memories with the family here for just more than visiting but shopping as well, I found some pictures in my cd rom vault of a recent visit just after opening in 2024, and they should be in my blog for you and me, Therefore, here is my take on the Pavillon de La Muette of Saint Germain en Laye !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Pavillon de La Muette is a former hunting lodge built by the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel for King Louis XV from 1764 to 1775 on the ruins of the castle of the same name, built for King Francis I in the 16C. It is located north of the Saint-Germain-en-Laye forest, route forestière des pavillons in the City of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the department no 78 of Yvelines, in the Île-de-France region of my belle France. You need a car to get here along the castle on the left hand side take the Avenue des Loges or D284 road then bear right front of buildings of the Fête des Loges onto the N184 road continue thru the forest of Saint Germain en Laye passing the railroad tracks below bear right onto Route Forestière des Pavillons then right onto Avenue de la Muette and pavillon.

We begin with the Salon du Débotté du Roi, built at the request of Louis XV. This is a room where the monarch’s boots were removed upon returning from hunting. After visiting the Officers’ Salon, the smallest of the three salons with a completely redone ceiling like all the other salons, we arrive at the Octagonal Salon, considered the centerpiece of the Royal Pavilion of La Muette. After exploring the salons, we now arrive at the bedrooms, but not just any bedrooms: those of Napoleon and his wife Marie-Louise. The Pavilion de La Muette also has eight bedrooms, six of which are located on the second floor. Built on a T-shaped plan, the paved cellars, partially inherited from the old building, house the furnaces. On the ground floor, a large vestibule heated by a Languedoc marble fireplace leads to an antechamber and its fireplace of the same type on the left. To the right, the staircase from top to bottom is notable for its spectacular stereotomy. On the reverse side is a wardrobe with a fireplace of green Campan marble. Housed in the later-built rotunda, the vast octagonal Italian-style salon is adorned with a Languedoc marble fireplace. The first floor is divided into three rooms, initially used as the king’s hunting suite.

Louis XV, by extending the forest area north of the Étoile de la Muette, dictated the construction of a new hunting lodge. Its construction was facilitated by the presence of the foundations of Francis I’s former hunting lodge. A first project was drawn up in 1764, and work to clear the foundations began at the same time as plans were being drawn up, On December 15, 1764, Louis XV went to see the crossroads of La Muette where he was to build his small pavilion, given the excavations that had begun to clear the old foundations.  Located in the center of a star-shaped intersection, the current pavilion de La Muette then dramatically developed the innovative layouts contained in embryo at Le Butard. Still relying on these old foundations, the final plans were done on March 25, 1766.

Outside, the Pavillon de La Muette evokes Le Butard through its play of moldings, stone tables, and openings, without, however, leaving room for any ornamental sculpture. The King inaugurated the pavilion on January 16, 1768, The King’s hunting meeting took place for the first time at the Pavillon de la Muette in the forest of Saint-Germain. His Majesty visited the entirety of this new bastion, from the underground passages in the General to the attics, having left nothing unseen, not even the smallest recess. The King seemed very satisfied. However, due to a lack of financial resources, the construction was completed in two phases. From 1766 to 1774, La Muette was only a rectangular pavilion, lacking its majestic rotunda. It was not until the very end of Louis XV’s reign that he ordered the work to continue: on March 19, 1774, Gabriel drew up the necessary plans. It was on this occasion that La Muette affirmed its character as a hunting lodge and observation point, In addition to this belvedere, the pavilion played a key role in the forest’s fabric: new star-shaped routes were opened, whose central point will start from the middle of His Majesty’s salon. The hunts followed one another from the entire building, and the building is visible from all roads. La Muette suffered from the administration’s sense of economy, which advocated the simplicity of a pavilion to present more convenience than magnificence, and from the gradual disinterest of Louis XVI. The King had, among other meager belongings, only two straw chairs for his boot. Consequently, the vast complex of outbuildings was never completed. Its construction only began in the 19C and according to different arrangements.

Acquired, along with the Château de Maisons,(see post) by Jacques Lanchère, a horse breeder and supplier to the army during the Revolutionary period, the building returned to its original purpose through the restoration of the Pavillon de la Muette serving as a meeting place for the First Consul’s hunts. From this time on, the pavilion underwent no major renovations, and only the furnishings were significantly expanded. The new Head of State lunched there with all the people to whom he did the honor of inviting them to hunt. La Muette became a recreational space, with meals and games of racket, chess, quadrille, and more. The furniture was eclectic and included both contemporary creations, such as the washbasin from Napoleon’s bedroom, and illustrious re-purposed pieces, such as the “camel fire” from Marie-Antoinette’s Turkish cabinet at Fontainebleau, installed in the living room.

Charles X used the pavilion for six months each year. It was divided into apartments intended for the King and his family, and as proof of the interest it aroused, the Crown Furniture Administration had window curtains installed, in addition to the window curtains, because the rooms of this pavilion are on the ground floor and the public can observe what is happening there by approaching the windows. It became a meeting place for the princes’ hunts in 1830. Modern comfort then reached La Muette, now heated by a radiator. The paneling was pierced with heat vents ,and colored with English varnish.One must imagine, under the July Monarchy, a pavilion welcoming guests to princely hunts with a certain luxury: vases in Etruscan-shaped porcelain, jasper background, painted hunting subject imitating engraving , girandoles, four-light candelabra, square bases, the notched corners in black marble, decorated with chased and gilded bronze, acanthus leaf base, surmounted by a Medici-shaped vase in antique green, console handles ending in rams’ heads, throat, base and base decorated with chased and gilded bronze, the said vase surmounted by five arabesque and fluted branches ending in eagles’ heads and animals carrying a bobeche surrounded by three thyrsuses ending in pine cones and joined by a ribbon. The Pavillon de La Muette experienced its last prosperous period with Napoleon III, after whose reign the pavilion was rented out. Successively a refuge for employees of the Achères marshalling yard during WWII, an experimental ORTF radio station until 1970, and an ONF forestry post, today gradually regaining its former glory thanks to the care of its new owners. After five years of restoration, it hosts all types of events. The pavillon de La Muette re-opened its doors in June 2024 and is dedicated to private events. It opens its doors to you for exclusive guided visits organized by the Tourist Office.

The official Pavillon de la Muette : https://www.pavillondelamuette.com/organiser-un-evenement/

The Yvelines dept 78 tourist office on the Pavillon de La Muette : https://www.destination-yvelines.fr/visites-et-decouvertes/pavillon-de-la-muette-le-trianon-de-saint-germain-en-laye/

The local Saint Germain Boucles de Seine tourist office on the Pavillon de La Muette : https://www.seine-saintgermain.fr/offres/pavillon-royal-de-la-muette-saint-germain-en-laye-fr-5356408/

There you go folks, a beautiful majestic city of Saint Germain en Laye. Long post but I think worth it. We love it and always looking forward to be back when possible, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Pavillon de La Muette of Saint Germain en Laye !!! as I,

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!