Being a finance minister is not an easy job at all, as can be attested to by quite a few Israeli politicians whose promising political careers came to an end after serving in this ministry. However, while the worst thing that can await a failed finance minister in our country is either warming the opposition benches (at best) or living comfortably at the expense of a budget pension (at worst), in France during the monarchy, failure in the finance ministry could have ended in death (if you don't believe me, read theNext post). Most often what led to the downfall of the Minister of Finance was political intrigue, however, only one Minister of Finance lost everything because of a palace. But what a palace….
The history of Wollo La Viscount
Nicolas Fouquet (1613-1680) had everything a 17th-century Frenchman could dream of. Money, influence and a meteoric career that saw him become the French Minister of Finance in 1653. His successful career led him to adopt the squirrel as his symbol along with the Latin motto “Quo non ascendet” which means “To those heights I cannot climb”.
However, as Foucault's career climbed to new heights, so did his own ego, and in 1661 the Minister of Finance climbed one step too high. About 20 years before the event that would change his life, Foucault bought the lands of Vaux le Vicomte and when he had accumulated enough money and prestige, he decided to build himself a palace. For the first time in history, three excellent professionals joined them: Charles le Brun, the painter, Louis le Vau, the architect, and André Le Nôtre, the garden designer, and together they created a palace and garden, which formed a single work of art, all of whose parts fit together in a completely harmonious way. The result was spectacular, but this palace had one small drawback: it was too grand.
In August 1661, a kind of “housewarming ceremony” of the new palace was held with the participation of Louis XIV. The ceremony included a ballet, various shows and ended with a spectacular fireworks display. However, Louis XIV was not at all pleased. He simply could not stand the fact that his finance minister had built himself a palace more beautiful than any palace he had ever owned. The one who knew how to take advantage of royal jealousy was Jean Baptiste Colbert, who had long coveted Foucault's position.
About 350 years before Yair Lapid, Colbert invented the slogan “Where is the money?” thanks to which he also became Minister of Finance. The money was quickly found and it turned out that Foucault had previously taken several million lire of the kingdom’s money into his personal account (which was quite common at the time for most Ministers of Finance and tax collectors). Foucault’s fate was sealed. On August 18, Louis XIV sent D’Artagnan (who was, by the way, a completely real person, on whom Dumas later based his story “The Three Musketeers”) to Foucault along with an immediate arrest warrant.
And so, as Voltaire wrote 100 years later, “On August 17th at six o’clock in the evening, Foucault was king.” France... At 2 a.m. he was no longer anyone…” After a long and complicated legal process, Foucault managed to avoid the death penalty, thanks to the many connections he had made at the royal court, but he was sent to life imprisonment in the castle of Pignerol, where he died in 1680.
The Rebirth of Wollo La Viscount
Louis XIV, who, as mentioned, could not stand the fact that there was such a beautiful palace that he himself did not build, decided to close the palace and take away the pictures, the tapestries, the statues, and even the orange trees... He also decided to hire the team responsible for the Palace of Vaux-le-Vicomte and demand that they create a larger and more magnificent palace.
The result was Versailles. However, the Vau le Viscount did not remain closed and closed for long and over the centuries that followed it was bought and sold by various noble families. Since many of the owners did not live there and neglected it, the palace and gardens slowly deteriorated. The palace was saved in 1875 when it was bought by Alfred Sommier, who restored it to its original beauty.
Since then, the palace has been managed by Soumier's descendants and is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful and (relatively) unknown palaces in France. So if you are traveling in the area Ile de France I highly recommend you visit there on Saturdays (from May 2nd to October 3rd), when there is a romantic candlelight tour. And if all this doesn't convince you, you are welcome to watch the video below.
Order tickets for Le Vicomte
Like any important monument in France, it is highly recommended to book tickets in advance for the Louvre-la-Vicomte (especially for candlelight tours). Here are some of the most popular ticket types:
- Entrance ticket to the palace and gardens – If you get there on your own.
- A trip to Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte Castle including transportation from Paris and back – Please note that this tour does not include a human guide (only an audio guide).
- Dinner and candlelight tour – A little expensive, but it is undoubtedly the best way to experience all the beauty this castle has to offer.
- Dinner and candlelight tour plus limousine transportation to the castle and back – A terribly expensive experience, but if you want to make the maximum impression on your partner, this is the way to go.
An excellent site with a wealth of information. Provides content about many sites as well as important information for the visitor that makes it easier to plan a visit to the sites.
It should also be noted the variety of topics, not only information about Paris, but many other cities and places. The information that Zvi Francophile presents
It is valuable and you won't find it anywhere else unless you do some real research.
Thank you very much 🙂