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onjour!
this month let's continue our visit to the castle of Fontainebleau. Ever since King François I, this prestigious
residence had been drawing the admiration of the world's leaders. It established itself as a true center for the
arts, owing to the wealth of paintings, frescoes, sculptures and valuable objects it housed. Monarchs followed
one another over the centuries, loving and transforming Fontainebleau according to their own tastes. Then the
people of France revolted and Fontainebleau was hit very hard during the ensuing turmoil. But after the dark
hours of the Terror, another figure showed interest in the castle and spared no effort in bringing it back to
life and restoring it to its former glory: Napoleon I.
But before continuing, please remember that you can access and read all the newsletters already
published at http://www.francemonthly.com/
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A Turbulent Period
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In 1790, the French Revolution was in full swing, carrying along the agony and torment experienced by a
people searching for better living conditions and greater justice. Castles, which stood as symbols of
absolutism and the oppression of the people, were attacked, vandalized, stripped of their furniture and
all other valuable objects.
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The Salle du Conseil
(Click photo to enlarge)
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They were then used to either store arms and ammunition, or grain that was essential to feed the people.
Some of them were transformed into prisons to lock away the "enemies" of the Republic, while others were
simply destroyed. Fontainebleau did not escape the fury. Several buildings were sold, others demolished,
works of art were ruined, valuable bronze objects were melted down and furniture was sold at auction.
Some demanded the destruction of this "gathering place for despots", but fortunately this last roar was
ignored. On March 11, 1803, Napoleon came to inspect the Military Academy that he had opened there a few
months earlier. The structure had no doubt gone through some very bad times but its walls were still
standing and the emperor, upon leaving the premises, declared to his quartermaster, "We will be able
to get something out of these ruins"!
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A Residence Worthy of an Emperor
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Even though the Military Academy was indeed set up in this considerably damaged castle, Napoleon had not
forgotten the prestigious past of Fontainebleau. The emperor was in fact looking for a residence worthy of
his greatness and his glory. He had moved into the Tuileries, but found this dwelling most uncomfortable.
Of course he did think about Versailles, but living in that castle would have been living in the shadow of
the Sun King, an absolutely inconceivable proposition! Settling down in the Louvre would have been a viable
option because the building had such a prestigious history, but it was also truly uninhabitable. And so the
emperor made his decision: Fontainebleau was the only place worthy of becoming an imperial palace, one where
he could bring back the splendor of the monarchy, as the castle had, over the centuries, received so many
crowned heads and dazzled so many sovereigns from all over the world. Napoleon never stopped renovating the
castle of Fontainebleau during his reign but only resided there a total of 170 days during the 10 years of
the First Empire. Nonetheless, the palace had recovered its former splendor when he left Fontainebleau on
April 20, 1814.
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Recipe for February 2011
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« Montagnard » French Toast
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A Pope in Fontainebleau
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Napoleon wanted a coronation befitting an emperor. One thousand years earlier, the great Charlemagne had been
crowned by the pope, so of course he would have to be as well. But the emperor wanted to mark the occasion in
a much more striking way than his illustrious predecessor. Whereas Charlemagne had gone to Rome for his coronation,
Napoleon did not intend to make the trip. It would be the pope who would come to him! Pope Pius VII had no other
choice than to accept the "invitation" and his arrival at Fontainebleau, his last stop before Paris, marked only
the beginning of a series of humiliations he would suffer.
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Trinity Chapel
(Click photo to enlarge)
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Napoleon did not want to show Pope Pius VII too much deference by welcoming him to the castle with great pomp,
so he decided instead to organize a hunting party during which he would meet the Holy Father "by chance" in the
forest of Fontainebleau. On November 25, 1804, it was a tired old man who, mindful not to soil his beautiful
white robe, somewhat hesitantly stepped out of his coach to meet the emperor. The two men embraced, after which
the Holy Father climbed into Napoleon's carriage and they arrived at the castle together. All the leading dignitaries
were present to receive them, and the old man could finally get some rest in the sumptuous apartments designed especially
for him.
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The Pope's Apartments
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When Napoleon summoned the pope to come crown him in Paris, he had intended to receive him for a few days at
Fontainebleau, but it was still in a sorry state and remained unfurnished.
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The Salle du Trône
(Click photo to enlarge)
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There were exactly 19 days left to spruce up the castle's appearance enough to house and, above all,
impress the pope. The plan called for a suite of ten or so rooms spread out over 2 apartments. Workmen
got busy plastering and wallpapering, and everything was arranged in a hurry. Linen, dishes, china,
glassware, pots and pans, all arrived at the castle in the biggest rush. Furniture, whether new or
removed from neighboring castles, poured in from all sides. On November 25, Pope Pius VII could
finally rest in apartments of utmost beauty. Nothing could have led one to believe that only a few
days earlier, if not a few hours earlier, all of this was just a huge building site. In fact, as it
was necessary to deal with the most urgent matters first, only the pope's apartments and those of
the emperor were luxuriously appointed and decorated. The housing accommodations for the six cardinals,
chambermaids, secretaries, various officers and servants who accompanied him, a total of 108 people,
were of a very different sort!
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The Empire Style
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Despite what Fontainebleau represented for his predecessors, it was not a leisure residence in Napoleon's
view but rather a place where he could work above all else. He had offices set up, as well as a huge library
and a topographical study. He worked relentlessly, while a few trustworthy men took shifts 24 hours a day to
answer the emperor's
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The Game Room
(Click photo to enlarge)
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injunctions and write down his orders at any time of day or night. While endlessly working, he did not
for that matter neglect the restoration projects at the castle. He went over every detail, chose each
piece of furniture and selected each fabric with extreme care. He planned the interiors and furniture
with some of the greatest artists of his time: George Jacob, one of the first cabinetmakers to carve out
of mahogany, and his private architects Percier and Fontaine who designed each and every piece of
furniture with the great painter David. It was the collaboration between these four exceptional artists
that created the Empire Style which can be admired today at Fontainebleau.
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The Throne Room |
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No matter which palace Napoleon stayed in, he never wanted to sleep where kings had slept before him.
With his reign, the bedroom ceased to be the beating heart of the castle, the space where the monarch
made his appearance, the room where courtiers flocked to see and also, most importantly, to be seen.
Nonetheless, it was the king's room that he chose to display his all mighty power. All the elements
of the space draw on the glory of the master of the house and praise the solid power held by this one
man alone. The throne stands out with elegance and strength, raised on a platform where the king's bed
once was. It is covered with blue velvet scattered with embroidered golden bees and crowned by a crimson
velvet canopy lined with purple satin that is also dotted with golden bees, one of the emperor's emblems.
His other emblems are omnipresent as well, such as the "N" monogram for Napoleon and the heraldic powerful
and proud eagle. The furniture is saturated with warlike and sovereign motifs, such as laurel and oak wreaths,
and lion muzzles and feet. The symbolic content is powerful!
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The Farewell Courtyard
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In 1813, Napoleon assembled an army to engage once more in a war against Prussia; he wanted
a rematch but this time he would lose. The Russian campaign, terribly deadly and devastating,
brought a halt to his illustrious reign. On March 31, 1814, Tsar Alexander I and the King of
Prussia entered Paris. Many events quickly followed on from there. On April 5, under pressure
from his own army generals, Napoleon signed his abdication. On the 11th, he learned that he would
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The Abdication Room
(Click photo to enlarge)
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keep his imperial title and would be given Elba to rule, an island of less than 15,000 people.
Faced with such a future and desperately lonely, he attempted suicide on the 12th,
but the poison did not have the desired effect. "Even death doesn’t want me", he would say. On the 20th, he
said his goodbyes. It was at the foot of the double horseshoe staircase in the main courtyard that he delivered
a carefully prepared speech, albeit a very sincere one as well: "Soldiers from my old guard, I bid you farewell.
I would like to embrace you all against my heart. May I at least kiss your flag, farewell my old companions". The
soldiers cried, and the main courtyard became known as the Farewell Courtyard, as Napoleon left a magnificent
palace behind.
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An Invitation to Travel... |
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Another person, Empress Eugénie, would also leave her indelible mark on this castle that she was
particularly fond of. Under the Second Empire, this last empress of the French people teamed up with her
husband, Napoléon III, to carry out extensive renovation work at Fontainebleau which became once
again a leisure residence and a venue for parties. But this would be short-lived. In 1870 came the defeat
of Sedan, the end of the empire and the exile, and Fontainebleau fell asleep. Luckily today, the doors of
this palace open onto a treasure trove of marvels and to visit Fontainebleau is to receive an extraordinary
lesson in taste and style from the Renaissance up to the eclecticism of the Second Empire.
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