Around The World Without Flying: Vicomte Palace Part 2 - A fascinating story of heroes and villains

The story behind the Vicomte Palace could be seen as a story of dishonour and lack of judgment, then a courageous battle for justice against a powerful king who wanted revenge at all costs, then heroism in WW1 and finally, dedication to the history and art of France.

It all began when in 1656 Nicolas Fouquet, general prosecutor of the parliament of Paris and superintendent of finances, bought a huge amount of land and started building the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, the correct formal name of the palace.

Nicolas was by all accounts a very passionate and creative man, and his palace was simply beautiful. The best known architect, the best known painter and decorator, and the best known landscape gardener of the time were appointed to fulfill his dream. The genius of these men created a model palace and garden that inspired the whole of Europe for over a century.

At the time, Nicolas was favourite of King Louis XIV and of Paris society, especially the ladies! Nicolas even hosted a very lavish soiree at the palace to honour the king. He had built a superb, majestic room especially for the king, and even an ornate gaming room.

But the dream came tumbling down when it was realised where much of the vast amount of money had come from. Nicolas had not differentiated between money belonging to him, and money belonging to the king and parliament. He was the last person who should have been appointed superintendent of finances! The king, who had been quite jealous of him anyhow, was furious!

The captain of the king’s guard, d’Artagnan (of Three Musketeers fame) arrested Nicolas on September 5, 1665. (No wonder the Three Musketeers feature in the palace shop!)

The king wanted Nicolas executed for his betrayal of trust, and placed great pressure on the judges to pass the death sentence. (This of course is one of the kings who milked all the citizens for everything he could, even if it meant they were starving.) But one judge on the bench for that trial held out and said that justice must be independent of the king’s wishes. Enough other judges agreed with him to pass judgement that Nicolas should be banished from France, not executed. The king was unbelievably angry and overturned their sentence and changed it to life imprisonment. Some 15 years later, in 1680, Nicolas died in the fortress of Pignerol.

Over the next two centuries, the castle was owned by three successive families, but in 1875, it was up for sale as an abandoned estate. Fortunately it was purchased by Alfred Sommier, a great French sugar magnate, who undertook a large scale restoration that was faithful to the original design, to preserve it as a palace for the Arts. The palace is now owned and managed by his descendants, the three brothers of the Vogue family, whom I mentioned in my last post.

But that is not all. During WW1 the family converted an outbuilding of the palace into a hospital for the wounded. Whilst the Sommier family member who managed the palace at the time went off to serve France in the war, very bravely as his military cross bears testimony, his wife was actively involved in nursing the patients.

When you walk around the palace, it is clear that war heroes and mythical heroes were very much celebrated by Nicolas through the frescoes, paintings and sculptures. To me the most outstanding heroes of the story of the palace, however, are the Sommier family members and their descendants who have acted as custodians of the palace since 1875. They not only served France during WW1 and tended the war wounded, but also carefully preserved the history and art of France, out of their dedication and at their own expense. It is their life’s great work which they still are undertaking.

This is the largest private estate in France that is listed as a 'Historic Monument of France'. If you have an opportunity to see it, grab it! It is only about an hour out of Paris. In my view, I would rather see that than the almost obscene opulence of the Palace of Versailles. And you do not have to battle huge crowds.

The following photos focus on the heroes Nicolas celebrated, and the wartime history of the palace.They are in order of when I saw them. I will write a third post showing some of the magnificent rooms in the palace.

A painting of a wounded soldier from a past battle.

Some of the medical team at the palace hospital.

The wife of the Sommier family member away at war, who served as a nurse at the palace hospital.

One of the displays depicting what the palace hospital was like.

The Cross de Guerre awarded to the Sommier family member who served in WW1.

The following photos show different mythical and war heroes celebrated through art in the palace. The first portrays the ascent into heaven of one mythical hero. One portrays King Louis XIV, who was not a hero at all, in my opinion. But perhaps Nicolas wanted to impress him, putting his portrait next to those of heroes. The last two are sculptures of two of the several leaders of ancient Rome portrayed in a special room. Nicolas clearly admired them.