The Château de Chantilly is the symbol
of French excellence in terms of architecture. Located 50 km north of Paris, the building has stood at the top for a millennium
of the most beautiful buildings in France. - Chantilly is exceptional. It's the most extraordinary
French heritage. - We have everything that architecture
and the art of gardens has become more beautiful, in France over the centuries. A monumental castle with an area
total of 10,000 square meters. As much as the Élysée Palace. An equally gigantic park. - The large parterre of Chantilly,
in surface area, that's 6 football fields. - 12 km of perspective. This is the greatest perspective
of France still today. The princely stables
the largest in Europe. - It's the same length
than the façade of Les Invalides. This excess will make even Chantilly
the rival of the most beautiful castle in the world. - It's a little Versailles. We will tell you about the construction site
of this monumental residence, where each construction step
was a fight. - It was a huge effort to
the teams who had to work here. - At present, we advise against
strongly, even prohibited construction in these areas. - In Chantilly, we cannot
build like elsewhere. In Chantilly, we must innovate. Foundations on piles. With the symmetries of French gardens. Through creation
of a colossal dome. How could the builders
challenge the impossible? What a technical feat
made in the 17th century, by the greatest landscaper in France,
André Le Nôtre, will allow Chantilly
to go beyond Versailles? In Chantilly, there were fountains
who walked continuously. - I don't know if you can imagine the effect
what it could have done to Louis XIV. Thanks to unique 3D animations and the testimonies
of the greatest specialists, we will go back 10 centuries
titanic work. From the medieval castle to the residence
princely of today. Here is the story of one of the constructions
the most breathtaking in France miracle of history, Chantilly Castle. Chantilly is a castle
who hides his game well. Known today for its legendary
horse races. These 815 paintings which make it the 2nd largest
collection of old paintings after the Louvre. Every year, it's more than half a million
visitors who come to wander around, across an area of 7000 hectares,
which is as much as Paris itself. And yet, many ignore it, but Chantilly has not always been
as refined and orderly as today, quite the contrary. - The history of Chantilly
is a story of destruction and incessant reconstruction. - Chantilly is five castles in one. To decipher the many lives
of this construction, we need to go back in time
more than a millennium old. We are in the 11th century,
in the Middle Ages. At the time, the Kingdom of France
is not yet unified. Its royal capital, Senlis, located 45 km north of Paris, is the target of numerous attacks. - The times are not very sure and therefore defensive points are needed. - All around this city, with several
leagues of distance, several km. We're going to find fortresses like that
which are supposed to protect Senlis, on the road that leads
from Paris to Picardy. But location poses a problem for
the construction of a fortress. That of the Chantilly forest,
seven kilometers from Senlis. - They are swamps, nothing more, nothing less. Peat, wild trees. - It is an agricultural territory
on a plateau crossed by a valley, the Nonette River Valley
which is a marshy valley. This river, called the Nonette, is a stream
several meters wide, but at a very low flow rate,
only 1.8 cubic meters per second. While she will be an incredible asset
a few centuries later, especially to compete
The Palace of Versailles. In the Middle Ages, it was extremely
binding on builders. - It's extremely muddy. You have to go up to ten meters from
depth before finding a rock on which we can rely. At the time, digging ten meters, it was a challenge that was not
absolutely not possible. - Even at present, we advise against
strongly, even prohibited, construction in these areas. But a discovery will change everything. - Fortunately, in the middle of this valley
swampy, there is a rocky spur, a rock mass which will allow
build a castle in medieval times. This enormous limestone rock
with irregular geometry, will therefore be the basis of the future fortified castle. But before starting construction,
many challenges await builders. - It's going to take some work
of leveling to the builders. - We must try to smooth out
the rock so that he can to be the solid foundation on which will stand
the walls, the curtains. Only equipped with a pickaxe, builders dig
around and on the rock to create a clean base. - They had to dig into the rock
extremely hard, to surround the water tower
to ensure that the castle is completely
surrounded by moats. - It's quite a complex operation. It's very hard work. This notch allows you to recover
more than 7000 cubic meters of stone, or enough to fill
more than 200 containers. A colossal, very useful stock
to build the first masonry. - As nothing is lost in the Middle Ages,
when we cut the rock, we take advantage of it to have
a small stone that will be used also inside the masonry. And Chantilly needs stone. Because at the time, builders were used to
to double the thickness of the walls. - At the time, they were building
so that it lasts. They weren't saving money
for 2 reasons. Firstly, the castle had to be
solid at the beginning, in the Middle Ages, to possibly resist
to attacks. And it must be said, in a way, it was also out of ignorance. They didn't know how far they could go
reduce wall thickness or materials to make it hold. So they doubled, tripled
to make sure it holds. And the result is that they have
build things which are much too strong. Here, the basement walls do not
less than three meters thick. Enough to enable construction
of a real defensive castle. Chantilly was born. - There were seven towers in Chantilly
which rose very high and you had curtains,
walls between these towers, which rose as high as these towers and this allowed
to accommodate the artillery. Proof of extraordinary quality
builders of the time, the medieval foundations are still in use
foundation of the current castle. This is what reveals to us
Pierre-Antoine Gatier, chief architect
Historical Monuments. - How lucky we are
with the grazing light, we see all the traces of tools
marks of stains. Almost every stone
is identifiable by these marks, which are the memory
the organization of the construction site, the memory of these stonecutters
very skillful. Each stonemason had his mark
and mark the stones with a small sign which showed that it was him
who had cut it. This way the workers were paid
gradually of the work they had done. The most visible medieval remains, on the one hand these are the moats and on the other hand the base of the towers
of the fortified castle. On these 2 tower bases, we see that there is
still archers who are in place, i.e. slits
elongated verticals, which allowed from the inside
from the tower to shoot, to defend against
the attacks of enemies. And that's not all. Today's public is unaware of it, but the most medieval heritage
striking in Chantilly is elsewhere. You have to gain height
to see him. This is the plan of the castle. A sort of equilateral triangle
70 meters on each side, which has been the matrix for a millennium
architectural heritage of Chantilly. - Whatever the time of construction,
all the builders, will inevitably have to leave
of this foreground, more or less triangular that will develop
the first builders in medieval times
on this rocky spur. A plan that will cause problems
in the 16th century, when the new owner of Chantilly
will want to transform the castle, in a flamboyant princely residence. 150 years after the Middle Ages, in 1560, a new campaign of major works
is about to be launched in Chantilly, at the request of the new owner of the premises, a certain Anne de Montmorency. - Anne, here, is a male first name. It's a little confusing for us,
but he is indeed a man. And this man is not just anyone. He is one of the most
powerful powers of France in the 16th century. He is constable, in other words
the supreme leader of the armies, And he is immensely rich. Anne de Montmorency was still
owner of 600 fiefdoms and 130 castles and lordships,
plus private mansions in Paris. And we know that he was
very keen on architecture. - This essential character who will have
possessions throughout France, going to make Chantilly
his main residence. And it's going to be a turning point for
the history of Chantilly, really, with huge construction sites
which will be carried out. Projects which will very quickly become
a headache for the workers. Because after adding windows
at the medieval fortress, the sponsor wants to enlarge it to accommodate
the greatest kings of France and Europe. - We must imagine that the Court of France
which unfolds, it's several thousand
of people moving. - We find that the castle
is a little small, we want to enlarge it, we are quite constrained by the seven towers
and the triangular shape. - We will have, non-stop, in Chantilly
the need to find space. And that's not the only problem
posed by the medieval fortress. The constable wants his castle to respect
the architectural codes of the Renaissance. At the time, new constructions displayed
a perfectly symmetrical architecture, like here in Chambord. The complete opposite of Chantilly. - So it's really a provision, who has, in the words of men
of the Renaissance, a wild quadrature. There is no right angle,
it's completely weird. - On this rock it was very complicated
to do anything symmetrical. To meet the requirements
of the sponsor, the workers will carry out
a real tour de force. He decides to build
an extension on the water. A small castle ahead
from the fortress, which will serve as a majestic entrance hall
for the guests. And to achieve this incredible challenge
to build on water, they will be inspired by the greatest
floating city in the world. - They built the little castle
in the same way, than the city of Venice. They drove in wooden pillars
in the mud, underwater. - We are going to set up what we call
bells or sheep, which are sort of big weights. We will bring down regularly
on the stake and as long as it goes down, we continue to push it. A method that requires several
technical precautions, under pain of seeing
the structure collapses. - The piles must be
still underwater. This is the golden rule. Because if they are outside the water,
there is a contact zone and rotting that can occur. They must always be drowned
in the water and on top, we make a raft, crossed beams
and we put masonry, which will serve as support
to the construction itself. Thanks to this system of piles, tens of meters will be able to
be won on the water. But very quickly, a new problem
arises for builders. The little castle, which must be
the new jewel of Chantilly, imposes a radical change
in the choice of raw materials. - There, the objective is for it to be beautiful
from the outside, elegant, aesthetic. This is not the objective
of the medieval castle. So no question of using the stone
of the rock as in medieval times. We need to find a new deposit.
But where ? We are in Saint-Maximin, in the Oise,
six meters underground. Here are gigantic galleries
that Denis Montagne knows by heart. His job :
underground quarry inspector. - You see the separation there. There is a natural fracturing.
The big one there. It is the assured tombstone,
if you go below on the wrong day. Today under surveillance, these careers are an incredible opportunity
for the workers of Chantilly, during the Renaissance. They are located only
seven kilometers from the construction site. - Overall, for 2000 years,
you have an extractive activity. We are lucky to have one of the most
major quarry sites in France with a quality stone and which has
supplied everywhere for all times. - So he served all
the construction of Paris, the construction of Versailles,
all the great castles. If these careers are so popular, it houses a stone
of exceptional quality. - It is a homogeneous stone,
of mechanical quality, which is beautiful, which is renowned, so it fits well. You scratch it with your fingernail.
It works well with the tool. She has it all. - A fairly blond stone that plays well
with the Picardy sun. And then it is a stone which allows very good quality sculptures. But before sculpting the stone,
it must be extracted. During the Renaissance,
the workers of Chantilly only had one tool
at their disposal, a kind of very rudimentary ice axe. - You are going to remove stone
regularly, over the entire surface
that you want to extract. The stonecutters then repeat
the operation on each side of the block. - And at that moment,
the block will come loose. It's backbreaking work. - You have an output, for someone who works
about ten hours a day, of one cubic meter per week. Knowing that the building to be constructed
is 60 meters by 30 meters, the construction site of the small castle
take a lot of time. Too much for the taste of the sponsor. - They are always under pressure to finish the work at the right time, because the constable
and the court will come. And sometimes they have to
to work very quickly and perhaps too quickly to be able
move forward on time. And we see that part
of the foundation of the little castle is not very well done,
with recycled materials, which we implemented very quickly. It is likely that it is
a not at all technical constraint, but which is linked
to a demanding sponsor who finds that the construction site
not moving fast enough. Which will result
a sagging of the floor of 8 cm, 5 centuries later. Still, at the time,
everything seems to hold. The new building is finished
in just 6 years and respects perfectly
the requirements of the sponsor. A rectangular structure
with perfect geometry. Additional surface area
of 2000 square meters. All decorated with hundreds of sculptures. - It is elegance, mastery,
rigor. A distribution nonetheless
very measured of the ornament, a real lesson in mastery
geometry. Chantilly is ready to entertain and dazzle
the greatest kings of Europe. This will be the case with the emperor
Charles Quint, the most powerful monarch at the time. - Charles V comes to Chantilly,
he is completely dazzled. He is so dazzled
that he asks Montmorency, to give him Chantilly
against a province of the Netherlands. - Chantilly was part, during the Renaissance,
great castles which will serve as an architectural model for all other constructions. But this leadership will be called into question
less than a century later. A new competitor arrives
and will push the castle of Chantilly, to radical transformations. We are in the 1660s,
during the reign of Louis XIV. A new construction is in the center
of all attention. This is the Palace of Versailles. - This is an extraordinary construction site,
considerable sums, which were spent. - Versailles has 1400 fountains.
Finally, it's crazy. - It must be said that no one
cannot compete with Versailles and that is very clear
for everyone. For everyone except one, the new owner
of Chantilly Castle. His name is the Grand Condé. He's the king's cousin
and his biggest rival. - He had spent a large part
of his fortune fighting the king, because he wanted to become caliph
in place of the caliph, it didn't work. In the end he was punished
and locked in his castle. - So what is he going to do?
He will embark on a new battle. This battle against the Sun King, the fallen prince is not going to lead her
on the architecture of the castle, but on another aspect of the field. - He focused on the other subject
fashionable at that time, it was precisely the gardens. The French garden is invented. All the nobles of France want
create French gardens which are very fashionable,
like quite simply, symbol of their power, wealth. And the Grand Condé wants to show
that it is almost, or even as powerful
as the king at Versailles. The project is extremely ambitious. Chantilly still being surrounded
of a gigantic marshy area. At the time, only one person seemed
able to meet such a challenge. His name: André le Nôtre. A genius architect and landscaper. - He is already a well-established gardener. He is around forty years old,
his reputation is made with Fontainebleau, the Tuileries and Vaux le Vicomte. - He is someone who is of mature age, who has knowledge, both architectural,
of mathematics. Finally, this is the first big
historical landscaper. But problem, when the Grand Condé
the contact, André le Nôtre is already taken
on another major project. - Louis XIV chose it to develop
the gardens of Versailles. - I think that for Ours,
leave Versailles, it was something that was not obvious,
he was attached to the Royal domain and all other areas
were of secondary domain. Chantilly is not an area
like the others. Here lies a rare and long-lived item
considered a weakness: A river. - What do we have in Chantilly in large
riches? It's water. There is a lot of water. It's fantastic.
In Versailles, there is none. - But you still need to know how to control it. André Le Nôtre agrees. He agrees to lead
the two construction sites. He doesn't know it yet,
but he will succeed in Chantilly, technical feats that will surpass
those of the Palace of Versailles. In 1662, work was launched. First objective:
clean up the marshy area. - To manage to dry out this type
of land, it is necessary to drain. We must try to make it happen
all the waters on both sides on a central channel. The area to be drained is considerable. Almost 7000 hectares. As much as Paris itself. Le Nôtre then imagines a canal
of gigantic dimensions, 60 meters wide
over 2500 meters long. As much as a landing strip
airliner. The goal ? Drain the swamps. - Earthworks and drilling works
canals will be colossal, in archival documents,
we regularly find mention of teams, of 200 workers who must
dig, drill, evacuate the earth, to give rise to these channels. 150,000 cubic meters of earth
are disbursed. What to fill
more than 5700 semi-trailers. - The Grand Canal,
it was a huge effort, for teams
who had to work here. The workers will meet
another problem. By digging into the ground, the water table which is
shallow at Chantilly, goes up, which makes drainage impossible. André Le Nôtre will have to waterproof
the bottom of its great canal. - He had hydraulic knowledge
very detailed site and he was able to create channels
which he covered with clay, in order to effectively isolate
the bottom of its channel and to prevent the waters of the table
rise and fill these channels. At that moment, the bottom of its channel
being well insulated, on the banks of its canal, one could
drain water from wetlands. After two years of colossal construction,
drainage is started. The land is drying up,
the river is under control. At the sight of this great canal, the king's rival is jubilant. - To give you an idea,
the Versailles canal is 1 km long, that of Chantilly is 2.5 km. But there is still a lot
of work to compete with Versailles. The construction site then enters
in its second phase, that of very symmetrical cutting
of the landscape. The roads are widened. A gigantic axis
is created from north to south. - Twelve kilometers of perspective. This is the greatest perspective
of France still today. On either side of the perspective, geometric shapes emerge, in the middle of flowerbeds
with impressive dimensions. - You should know that the large parterre
of Chantilly in surface area, that's 6 football fields, so it's not neutral all the same. But how to achieve perfect symmetries
over such distances? At the time, workers did not have
than a knotted rope and poles to define the routes. That's without counting on the incredible
talent of André Le Nôtre. - He adapted the symmetry
to the human eye so that, even if it wasn't
exactly symmetrical, it feels like that was the case. - He really is a genius at that. he knows how to calculate the length
which must be given to a pool, so that even if it is rectangular
is the air of a square. Prodigious know-how
which gradually transforms, the marshy lands of Chantilly
in perfectly ordered flowerbeds. The Grand Condé's dream is taking shape. But the construction site will experience
several stops, which will jeopardize the project. - The problem of Grand Condé,
is that it is difficult to have, his landscape architect because he
is still held by the king at Versailles. - It's a modern life of a star, that is to say, he comes one day,
two days in Chantilly. - When he comes, then there,
it’s agitation. Everyone must listen to him,
we must collect their opinions, make him draw sketches, organize the work
until his next coming. - We have countless letters saying
we must bring in Mr. Le Nôtre, he has to be there and he has a good reason to
not to be in Chantilly because he is in Versailles. - We also have a rivalry there
which will have André Le Nôtre on site. The Prince of Chantilly will even go
up to chartering a vehicle, especially for the architect so he can come back
work at the castle. Because he still has
one last element to create, and not the least. Creating water games
capable of flowing continuously, which represents at the time
an exceptional technical feat. - Master the hydraulics that keep
still a slightly magical side, for the common man of the time.
That's the real proof of power. And so, no longer a garden
aura of water games, plus proof of the owner's power
of the domain will be brought. André Le Nôtre measures the scale
of the task that awaits him, he who has all the trouble in the world to do
operate the fountains of Versailles. - Versailles, we pointed out that it stank
sometimes, when it works for 20 minutes, it's good and it leaks as much as it can.
We even imagined at Versailles a way of showing the gardens. - They made the fountains flow
only when the king was walking and still in operation
from where he was. When he was walking
in different areas, there were small workers
who opened the fountains when he arrived and who closed them
immediately behind. How André Le Nôtre will succeed at Chantilly
what he failed to do at Versailles? It's only 300 years later
that the mystery will be solved. When in 1994, a former engineer
discovers an abandoned building. near Chantilly park. - I saw this building in which
there was no movement. And when I spoke to the residents:
What is this building? People said: It's the machine.
But which machine? No one was able to answer me. Yves Buck, helped by friends, starts searching
of this mysterious machine and ends up finding representations of it
in an 18th century work. - We started to fantasize,
we made plans, we made models... After 18 months of work
and the assembly of 250 parts, the riddle is finally solved. This is a unique huge water pump
in France, created by André Le Nôtre. In the 17th century, the only way to create
water games is to use gravity. André Le Nôtre therefore designed this machine
to bring the canal water up. - Energy comes from
water from the Nonette, This allows you to drive this wheel
which aims to train of course, suction and discharge pumps through the gears... - This water will be returned
thanks to pipes, under the roof of the dome of this pavilion. Then this water through another pipe
will return to a reservoir absolutely gigantic which is located
on the Chantilly plateau, in height, above
of the marshy valley. This reservoir, located ten meters
above the Chantilly park, could contain at the time
33 million liters, or the equivalent
of 13 Olympic swimming pools. And once the water is
in tanks, by gravity, we feed the estate’s waterfalls. Designed for supplying water jets
located to the west of the castle, this hydraulic system turns out
particularly effective. The proof is with the big ones
waterfalls which have now disappeared. In the 17th century, they were considered
as the highlight of the gardens. 100 water jets over 15 meters of height difference. So how long does it work?
thanks to the Chantilly machine? - In the 17th century, the Chantilly machine
is the most efficient in France. Not in capacity or flow, but that it was running regularly. - And with the volume of the tank,
she could sink 2 days without stopping. Without having to restart
the water machine to fill the tank. You imagine two days
without interruption ? This is unheard of in France
for such complex water jets. But where Chantilly is definitely going
surpass Versailles, it's thanks to a completely different system
created by André le Nôtre. And it is disconcertingly simple. For fountains located
east of the castle, the machine is too far away
to feed them. So we have to find another way
to bring the water to height. It was then that an ancient
aqueduct hidden in the woods. When André le Nôtre arrived in Chantilly, he
discovers this prince's aqueduct in the woods. He is amazed by this arrival
of water that is high, compared to French flowerbeds. Nine meters difference. An elevated spring
which flows continuously. André le Nôtre feels that he is reaching his goal. It then creates a derivation
five meters, to feed a huge pond
load of 40,000 liters of water. So from this load basin,
you have a set of pipes, which go in all directions, that go underground
and which go towards the pools. - To create an acceleration of currents,
we actually reduce the diameter. It's a bit like the effect of a jet of water,
when we turn the nozzle, the more we reduce the diameter,
the faster the water goes, This creates current. The feat is underway. - In Chantilly, there were fountains
who walked continuously. At the time it was called
the miracle of the waters. - It was really exceptional, really. In total, it's more than 7 km
underground pipes, which feed
all the water games in Chantilly. The bet paid off.
Nature is tamed. All that remains is to show
this feat to the whole world. On April 23, 1671, the prince invites to Chantilly
his cousin the Sun King, for three days of celebration. So how will you react?
he who condemns to death, anyone overshadowing him? - There are 2000 people. It really is one of the main events
in Chantilly during the lifetime of Grand Condé. This is the time when gardens
are largely complete. - He is going to welcome his cousin, show him his domain,
but by indicating to him, that all this magnificence
is made for him. End of ploy, the Grand Condé lets the king believe
that he transformed Chantilly for him. The king marvels. The Grand Condé savors it. I don't know if you imagine
the effect it may have had on Louis XIV, when he was invited
by the Grand Condé. In the middle of the night, in the evening
and in the morning it worked. The effect must have been striking
for him anyway. - Thanks to all these jets of water, with
this great success of André Le Nôtre, in this, Chantilly exceeds
Versailles definitely. - The Grand Condé, probably
deep inside, takes a bit like
revenge against the king. The years pass, the generations
follow one another in Chantilly. But the rivalry with Versailles continues, even after the death of the Sun King. - Works at Versailles
stopped dead at that moment. The workers were
a little without much to do. And so the prince at Chantilly said:
"I have a castle too. Come to my house." This new workforce will change
radically the face of Chantilly. Starting with the facades
of the Grand Château. We changed all the upper parts,
you have to imagine big towers. And then at the top, we placed
lanterns, roofs, we completely opened the walls
through a very large number of windows. Changes continue
inside. This is the case in the little castle
become in the meantime, the place where the princes of Chantilly lived. - We are going to create a large gallery
like the Hall of Mirrors. With the same devices,
you are going to have berries, which are the bays of the Renaissance
which will be enlarged, redeveloped and on the other side, we will block the bays
of the Renaissance to place mirrors there, so that the light of the berries
will be able to reflect on the mirrors placed directly opposite, as in
the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. - So it's a little Versailles. But where the know-how of these workers
Versailles will be put to the test, it's in construction in Chantilly
a new building, who will break all records. Located 300 m from the castle. Here are the princely stables
the largest in Europe. - These stables are bigger
that the castle and it is almost unique in
French or European castles. - It's the same length
than the façade of Les Invalides. - 186 meters long, 25 meters wide. It's incredible ! Absolutely incredible! Divided into two gigantic naves,
capable of accommodating 240 horses. Decorated with sculptures
of exceptional finesse. This horse temple rivals
with the royal stables. - But it's a construction site
completely disproportionate, which will swallow up millions
and millions. However, this construction site
which will last more than 20 years and which will turn into a nightmare
for the workers, started with a pleasant surprise. - We realize that in fact,
under the Chantilly lawn exists the stone that we still use
at the time, the stone of Saint-Maximin. - Stones at 100 meters
from the door of the great stables, a natural source of stones,
but gigantic. Two and a half hectares of stone
to cut into the rough, for a building such
The big stables. I mean, it's great! Also amazing
as it may seem, under the big stables hides
such a big labyrinth, only three football fields. At the time, it was no less
50,000 blocks of stone, which will be extracted by
these large holes dug in the rock. - These chimneys have two functions. The 1st the air flows, and then the 2nd, it is also the extraction of stones
since we put pieces of wood there, the frames
and with a pulley system, we brought the stones to the surface. - It is both a gain
of time and money. Because in a construction budget, of a building like this
large stables, the share of the purchase of the stone but also
of its delivery is considerable. This is not the only advantage
from which the builders will benefit. And particularly during construction
of the centerpiece of the stables. - The dome has exceptional dimensions
for a stable dome. It is 28 meters high inside,
20 meters wide. - It's a masterpiece
the size of Pierre. But French manufacturers are very strong, are very skillful. They master technology. Undeniable know-how, but which
will require some adjustments, due to the XXL size of the dome. This is what explains to us
Jean-Michel Bouchard, journeyman stonemason
and Best Worker in France. - When we make a dome at 28 meters
on a dimension like that, must be countered
the thrusts of these stones. We put several tons of stones,
we key them, we cut all the stones
to a certain form, so that the vertical thrusts
are pushed back horizontally, that they go obliquely
and in the end they come back down in the walls on each side. - We have 5 meters of thickness for
counterbalance the thrust of these vaults. - The architectural prowess,
somehow, it's that we don't realize it,
that we have walls which are thicker than in
any medieval castle. To ensure that the dome
do not collapse, the workers will also
add another material. Metal. - The builders were prudent, to introduce metallic elements, which could be assembled
between the stones, to strengthen the hold
mechanics of the whole. Architectural feats
all the more exceptional, that they are carried out in
terrible working conditions. - We know that the Prince of Condé
pays a surgeon on site, to care for injured workers. We have testimonies
on construction site accidents, collapsing scaffolding
with workers on it and so obviously,
several of them are injured. But there is worse. The workers must face another
an unexpected threat to say the least. Nicole Garnier is the curator
head of the Chantilly estate. During renovation work in 2008, her and her teams
made a macabre discovery. - We found this human skull
which was transmitted to the gendarmerie, who carried out the necessary analyses. Obviously, this is a homicide. Since there is a bullet mark
which comes out on the other side. Carbon 14 analysis
which was made by the gendarmes, indicated that this man or woman, we ignore the sex,
was killed between 1650 and 1950. According to some records, this skull could be the one
from one of the workers, of the large stables site. One of the hypotheses,
he is the Count of Charolais, manager of the Chantilly estate, we know he killed some of the workers
who worked on his land. - He used roofing workers
to practice shooting. - In any case, it's part of
of the many legends of Chantilly and in particular legends
black from Chantilly. It is not this possible homicide which
will stop the construction of the large stables. But the death of the sponsor in 1740. - Today, the big stables,
we realize, that there are stone facings
who are waiting for a sequel. There is a pavilion
which was never built. In fact, only the door
of this pavilion has been completed. Next to it we see the stones
on which were to fit, the walls of this building. The big stables
therefore remain unfinished, but are a feat
exceptional architectural style. At the end of the 18th century, the Chantilly estate
is at the height of its splendor. - Chantilly has never been so beautiful
and Chantilly is really famous, throughout Europe and will receive
guests from all over Europe. A climax that will be short-lived. Because everything changed on July 14, 1789. The Revolution breaks out in Paris. The Bastille is taken,
power is overthrown. From then on, any symbol of the Ancien regime is destroyed by the revolutionaries. Chantilly is not spared. - Chantilly will be confiscated
and will be sold to demolition companies. - The castle is gradually dismantled,
we put on sale everything we can in terms of materials, roof lead,
slates and all the stone. Much of the city
of Chantilly was built, with the stones that come
of the great castle. In eight years, that's more than 500 years
history that disappears. The great castle is razed
at the level of its foundations. The gardens of Le Nôtre are in ruins. Only the small castle remains
and the large stables. - The French Revolution,
it's a complete disaster. - It's a big void. Chantilly is facing the most
great technical challenge in its history. Impossible to imagine
that two centuries later, the castle will be standing again. We owe this feat
to the obsession of a little boy. - The Duke of Aumale inherits Chantilly in 1830 and he was eight years old. - The rebirth of Chantilly
will be done with an 8 year old child, Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale, therefore the fifth son of King Louis-Philippe,
the last king of the French. After a 30-year forced exile
in England, In 1875 he launched a construction site
titanic reconstruction. - This castle cost millions
of francs of the time. The Duke of Aumale was one of the men
the richest of his time and it was finally the work
of his life that he spent here. To make his dream come true,
the new owner of Chantilly, will impose on the builder a notebook
particularly restrictive charges. First of all, there is no question of building
the castle somewhere other than on the rock. Then the Duke of Aumale
used to say: My predecessors built their castle
at this place for 8 centuries and I will do the same. Architecture level, the castle must be built
in a renaissance style. - He will make quotes, such as the front door
of Chantilly castle, which is a copy of the door
from the baptistery of the Château de Fontainebleau. He will copy the Écouen chapel. - These large bell towers
of Chantilly castle, they will be inspired as well by
Chambord and Valençay, ancient monuments. And for the illusion to be perfect, the workers must at all costs conceal
the modern materials they use. This is the case with the lighting of the most
great hall of the new castle, the painting gallery. Here 85 of the 815 paintings owned by
the Duke of Chantilly are on display. On the ceiling, streaked glass tiles, which hide a glass roof
ultramodern for the time. It consists of a cover
window about ten meters long and a metal frame
composed of eight riveted steel arches. - This is the material of the 19th century. - It doesn't cost a lot of money,
It goes quickly, it’s effective. Revolutionary techniques
for the 19th century, but totally anachronistic for
a castle inspired by the 16th century. The workers will therefore add elements
roof all around the glass roof, to make it invisible
in the eyes of the public. - Which is impressive... Take a boat trip to Chantilly,
stroll through the flowerbeds, look at the roofs,
you will not see the slightest glass roof. - There are all modern techniques,
but well hidden so that we don't have the impression
to be in a modern building. Except that this castle
is younger than the Eiffel Tower. The flowerbeds of André Le Nôtre
will also be restored, thanks to technological advances
and techniques of the time, Chantilly rises from its ashes
in just ten years. It's always the latter
version of Chantilly, that thousands of tourists
visit every year. And if nothing has changed for 120 years, is that the castle is extremely
well protected, by the will of the last owner. On his death, the Duke of Aumale
bequeaths the entire estate at the Institut de France
under certain conditions. - He expressly asks
that there be no modification in exterior architecture
and interior of the castle. A desire to protect
these exceptional places, which turns out to be a real headache
for today's workers, especially during work
catering. Since 2004, 60 million euros
were invested to renovate the estate. Every time, the same difficulty. How to repair without changing everything? This is the case here, on the roof
large stables, where 300 year old beams
threaten to collapse. - Altered parts
were purged and strengthened. And so here,
we used a technique, while preserving the historic piece
which is molded on its two sides, of modern elements that come
strengthen the structure. And all being surrounded by metal. - We have to reuse
the techniques of the time, the materials of the time and to respect
simply the places. Chantilly is no longer a challenge away. - Chantilly has not stopped
to be under construction and it is undoubtedly also the dimension
exceptional view of the Château de Chantilly. - We have everything that architecture
and the art of gardens has become more beautiful in France
over the centuries. - It's the most extraordinary
French heritage. Ten centuries of history
and eventful construction. 1000 years of an extraordinary construction site
who is doing it today, a symbol of French excellence
in terms of architecture. The Château de Chantilly was intended
the residence of princes. The builders built its legend.
