The Domaine de Chaalis: Vote to Make it the Favorite Monument of France in 2023

The Domaine de Chaalis, located in Fontaine-Chaalis in the Oise, is one of the 14 finalists for the 2023 edition of the television program Le Monument Favorite des Français, presented by Stéphane Bern on France 3. The monument was selected to represent the Hauts-de-France, among the hortillonnages of Amiens and the birthplace of Charles de Gaulle. Vote to support this jewel of Hauts-de-France.

Since its first broadcast in September 2014, the French Favorite Monument program has become an unmissable event for heritage lovers. Presented by Stéphane Bern, it invites viewers to vote online for their favorite monument from a selection of 42 emblematic places throughout France.

This year, the Chaalis estate proudly represents the Hauts-de-France region. In the region, two other monuments had been selected to compete. These are the hortillonnages of Amiens (Somme) and the birthplace of Charles de Gaulle in Lille (Nord).

Located in the heart of the Ermenonville massif, the Chaalis estate, steeped in nine centuries of history, extends over 1,000 hectares of land, forests and ponds. Founded in 1137 by Louis VI, the royal abbey became during the 19th century a place of residence imbued with romanticism.

Over the centuries, the abbey went through periods of decline and restoration. After intense intellectual activity in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the abbey palace was converted into a castle during the 19th century.

The great collector Nélie Jacquemart-André acquired it in 1902. Portraitist of All-Paris under the Second Empire, she restored the estate and brought together a collection of nearly 4,000 paintings, furniture and works of art.

Burial of Nélie Jacquemart in the chapel of Sainte-Marie de Chaalis • © Julien Guéry / FTV

On her death, she bequeathed the estate to the Institut de France, which has ensured its conservation and promotion ever since.

Today, its chapel decorated with frescoes by the great Primaticcio in the 16th century is often presented as the “Sistine of the Oise”.

Details of the fresco in the chapel of the Abbey of Chaalis. • © FTV

The park is home to a rose garden classified as a “Remarkable Garden”, it hosts the Rose Days every second weekend in June. This event attracts thousands of lovers of this iconic flower.

The rose garden of the Chaalis estate in the Oise. • © Micha Henrotte/H&K

Nearby, the Jacquemart-André museum displays an impressive collection of works of art, including paintings, sculptures and decorative arts.