Château de Balleroy

About this place

The Château de Balleroy is a seventeenth-century château in Balleroy, Normandy. The fief of Balleroy, near the forest and abbey of Cerisy, was acquired on April 1, 1600 by Jean de Choisy, wine supplier at the court of Henry IV. The castle was built from 1626 to 1636 by his son, Jean II de Choisy who became State Councilor and chancellor of Gaston, Duke of Orléans, brother of Louis XIII, who hired architect François Mansart from 1634 for the reconstruction of the château de Blois. As you explore, compare the building itself with its decoration and later additions. Differences in materials, forms and imagery can reveal successive periods of patronage, making the visit a way to understand how religious places evolved over time.