The history of Rochecotte

The Prince de Talleyrand and the
Duchesse de Dino
at the Château de Rochecotte
Rochecotte or « Rock from the Hill » or
« Cooked Rock » is a former fort which evolved
into the land of a marquis. From 1550 to 1767,
the successive owners were Antoine de la
Châtaigneraie, Gabriel and Balthazar Le Bascle.
At the beginning of the XVIII century, the
property was owned by the Guillon de
Rochecotte family. The property was extended
thanks to the lands of Varennes, Saint-Patrice
and Milly. The official document related to this
addition reads as follows: « Licensed letters
granted at Versailles in January 1767 under our
reign: the 52nd signed Louis VX and
Phillipeaux ».
The Guillon family supplied valuable
soldiers to the cavalry. The most famous being
was Louis Fortuné, born on April 28th 1765. He
was an uncredible leader of partisans of the
Chouannerie. He was arrested in Paris on June
28th 1798 and despite the devotion of his
mistress, who attempted to help him escape from
prison, he was shot at the Champ de Mars on
August 7th of that year.
1.
Under the Consulate, Françoise Adélaïde
Guillon, Marquise de Varennes, succeeded to
recover the Château, which became the property
of Galien de la Motte-Barassé, Marquis de
Sennonnes. The property was then resold for 280
000 pounds to René de Laisselle de Ligné and it
was after this, in 1825, that Talleyrand purchased
it for his niece, the Duchesse de Dino.
During 13 years and until his death in
1838, this beautiful mansion was the preferred
residence of the Prince de Bénévent. Excluding,
of course, his sumptuous residence on SaintFlorentin street in Paris. He also owned the lands
of Valençay that Napoléon advised him to buy in
1805. The buildings were constructed under
François 1st. According to the plans of Philibert
Delorme, they were surrounded by magnificent
English style gardens.
As he grew older, Talleyrand preferred
the quiet charm of Rochecotte to the luxurious
property of Vallençay. Indeed the site was
enchanting.
From the terrace, the view overlooked the
majestic Loire Valley and the bright hillsides. On
the opposite side of the river, one could see the
Château d’Ussé the model taken for « Sleeping
Beauty », which revealed the treeline of its
sumptuous grounds. Rochecotte is situated in
one of the most charming areas of the Touraine,
in a land of flowers and fruits, with a mild
climate and close to the areas of Angers and
Tours.
The new landlady, the Duchesse de Dino,
did her best to please her guests at Rochecotte.
Finding the XVIII century Château too austere,
she converted it into an Italian villa, with
columns, pergolas and flower beds. She built
extensions which allowed for 14 guest rooms, all
of which were named after its regular guests.
Drawings and paintings can still be seen in the
lounges today, which testify the importance of
the transformations and improvements.
Thanks again to the Duchesse de Dino,
there was a refined choice of paintings,
drawings, portraits, chandeliers, tapestries and
valuable furniture. As well, something quite rare
during that time, they succeeded in having
running water in the kitchen and in the suites,
thanks to hydraulic pumps.
Finally, Talleyrand found at Rochecotte
the pleasure of having the permanent presence of
his niece. He wrote, « I love staying here.
The way of life, the air we breathe, the life far
from politics, everything is convenient and
above all, I am here with Madame de Dino, at
her
home ».
Finally, Talleyrand found at Rochecotte, the
wonderful presence of Pauline, the daughter of
Dorothée de Dino, whom he calls « sa chère
Minette »,
and whom he says is the angel of the house. At
the time, Talleyrand forms with the Duchesse de
Dino, a real family.
Talleyrand negotiated in 1809 the wedding of his
nephew, Edmond with Dorothée de Courlande,
who was one of the wealthiest heiress’
in Europe. The Duc de Berry himself once
dreamed
of
marrying
her.
This wedding was known to be a masterpiece of
diplomacy.
Talleyrand decided to persuade the Tsar
to sustain his project and succeeded in
overcoming Dorothée’s resistance to marrying a
Polish Prince. Edmond recognized that he had to
go through this marriage in order to obey his
uncle’s wishes.
2.
One could see that nothing good was going to
come from this union. Despite the presence of
the three children, the family was not close and
after Pauline’s birth, a separation was inevitable.
« Le petit pruneau », which Charles de Rémusal
referred to when he was getting married, had
become a magnificent radiant women, with « a
slender face, a dominating nose, beautiful mouth
and teeth and above all, under her jet black hair,
two splendid large eyes. Dorothée spoke French
with a slight foreign accent, and her look with
her smooth long lashes and her voice contrasted
by the softness, conveyed her proud attitude. Her
alive and noble appearances, as well as her spirit,
were even more noticeable and rarer than her
beauty ». Not surprisingly, great affection
between the Duchesse and Talleyrand developed.
The purchase of Rochecotte coincided
with a marked evolution of the Duchesse de
Dino from a religious point of view. Officially
she was a Lutherine, but never received any real
religious education. She did not worry about it at
the time, but later felt dullness and a feeling of
emptiness she wanted to overcome.
During her childhood, Dorothée had a
passion for politics. When she was nearing her
forties, she experienced a deep change from
within. She dreamt of an existance other than
the one she was leading. New thoughts troubled
her and lead her to reflection and meditation.
Perhaps this transformation was due to the
influence of l’Abbé Girollet, who lived at
Rochecotte.
Rochecotte was the family oasis of an uncle
protected from loneliness by his niece’s
deferential affection, whose bright intelligence
assured the rest of the last years of a long and
extraordinary stirring life.
The Duchesse de Dino had her three
children with her at Rochecotte. Her two sons,
Napoleon-Louis, 14 and Alexandre, 12; yet it
was the young daughter, Pauline (she was 5
when they purchased Rochecotte), who was her
great-uncles’ joy. The children’s daily lives were
well balanced. They played in the park during
hours set by their mother and they had a study
room in the Château. Pauline’s religion lessons
were taught by l’abbé Girollet and she later
continued these lessons in Paris with Father
Dupanloup.
The Duchesse de Dino invited her sisters
occasionally to Rochecotte. All three were
radiant beauties. Catherine Wihelmine was 12
years older than Dorothée . Although Dorothée
was audacious in her daily life, when her sister
Catherine was around she wasn’t comfortable
and didn’t portray the same traits. She said as a
child, she was used to being afraid of her and
due to this, was slightly intimidated by her in her
adult years.
Catherine had inherited from the Duc de
Courlande, the Principality of Sagan. Divorced
in 1805 from Prince de Rohan and in 1806 from
Prince Wassilli Troubetskoï, she had an affair
with Metternich, during the Congress de Vienne.
Finally, in 1819, she married for the third time,
Count Karl Schulemburg-Vitzenburg and this
third union, equally unhappy, ended in 1827. She
died in 1839 without having reached old age.
She finished sad, isolated and disgusted with
everything.
The youngest sister, Pauline, Princesse de
Hohenzollern, was much calmer. Having
inherited the Dukedom of Sagan, she gave it
over to Dorothée in 1844 and died the following
year.
3.
The third sister, Jeanne, Duchesse de Acérenza,
passed away in 1876 at the age of 95.
When Dorothée’s relatives and close
friends were not at the Château, she received
influential writers, journalists and major leaders
from political parties.
Balzac was most welcome on several
occasions,
either
on
his
return from a stay in Saché, where he stayed at
Mr and Mrs de Margonne’s, or on his way from
Tours to Saumur for his documentation on
« Eugénie Grandet ».
Balzac was impressed with Talleyrand as
he had been through many catastrophes and held
in his own hands the destiny of his country. He
didn’t dare say anything to Talleyrand and rarely
asked questions. Talleyrand couldn’t help but
speak about his first years in the seminary of
Saint-Sulpice, where during his free time, he
would seek refuge in the library, and would
return books to his room. In his personal
readings and studies, he learned about the
science and reasoning of humans which in later
years became his strength. Balzac would listen to
him and think of his own childhood. For Balzac,
this image from this era and the society was
unwinding into many stories in his imagination.
He thought of his next work « La Comédie
Humaine ». Talleyrand was very much interested
in the young writer. He invited him to his
Château of Valençay.
Among the politicians, Adolphe Thiers was the
most often welcome. It is at Rochecotte where
the newspaper « Le National » was created
and where the violent campaigns prepared the
revolution of July. During his first visit to
Rochecotte, Thiers was only 26 years old and
Talleyrand was in his seventies. Nevertheless,
Thiers conquered the illustrious old man.
Talleyrand listened to him with great interest and
consulted him.
When Talleyrand was at Rochecotte, he
wanted to forget about politics. However, he
always remained well informed about events
through confidential letters, which he would
frequently receive from Mrs Adélaïde. Despite
the distance from the capital, the smart diplomat
preserved his influence.
When there were no visits at Rochecotte,
Talleyrand would live in the greatest simplicity.
When time would permit, he would sit on the
terrace and admire the magnificent and relaxing
view of the Loire. He would tour the grounds in
his wheelchair and took interest in the
plantations. He would occasionally travel to
Langeais, Bourgueil, Saumur and even to
Châteauvieux, where he liked visiting his friend,
the philosopher, Royer-Collard.
When the weather was bad, he would stay
in the library where he kept the most beautiful
publications, which he enjoyed consulting. But
most of all, he preferred intimate evenings with
his niece, reminiscing.
It was at Rochecotte, where Dorothée
experienced the most triumphant success of her
mundane life. Talleyrand, who was representing
Louis-Philippe, received in London the most
flattering welcome. The duchesse seduced the
high society that she would invite to her house.
She was at the peak of her beauty. But after
having reached this pinnacle, on her return to
Rochecotte in 1834, she realized for the first
time, the vanity of worldly honours.
4.
She reached the age when women with a
tormented past turn towards devotion. Last but
not least, she was particularly impressed by her
daughter, Pauline’s piety. Her favourite's books
were the works of Bossuet and « l’imitation ».
It was at this moment that she decided,
after converting herself, to convert her uncle so
that at his death, he will have reconciled with the
church. She was far too intelligent not to realize
the difficulty of this task. Talleyrand, as a
bishop, braved the Pope, recommending the
Civil Constitution of Clergy.
It is obvious that as he got older, Talleyrand
began to show a certain amount of sympathy for
Catholic rites and he would sometimes
accompany Pauline to mass. In London, he even
delayed a diplomatic reception so that he could
drive Pauline to her religious class. But his pride
was too strong and to deny publicly what he had
fought for his entire life, was the most difficult
obstacle to surmount.
Thus, Dorothée made a wish to build a
chapel at Rochecotte, on the site of Talleyrand’s
bedroom, if she could obtain from him a
reconciliation with the Catholic religion.
Each day, discretely, she indulged herself
into this work. She gave us an example in her
diary, « 29 August 1836. After a loud violent
thunder, M. de Talleyrand asked me what my
thoughts were at that very moment and
I answered him immediately: if there was a priest
in the room, I would have confessed. I’m afraid
of sudden death. To die without preparation, to
bring with me my heavy bag of sins, we can’t do
without reconciliation and pardon. On every
occasion, I establish as best I can, my beliefs and
I hope to awaken yours. In those circumstances,
one must be forgiving ».
Pauline is her mother’s best collaborator.
She confided to her great-uncle the sadness she
felt when she encountered a civil burial.
What a distress, should such a scandal happen in
the family !
In 1837, Talleyrand’s strength is slowly
declining. After the marriage of the Duc
d’Orléans, he goes to Rochecotte to rest in the
fall and part of the winter. In December, the
Duchesse de Dino is gravely ill and her days are
in danger. Talleyrand tells her these touching
words: « If you die, what would become of me?
What could I do to make you happy? ». It is on
this day that Dorothée was able to get the
signature that she needed from her uncle.
We know the rest of the story. The return to
Paris, the fortunate intervening of Father
Dupanloup and the Christian death of the
morning of May 17th. The Duchesse de Dino
transformed Talleyrand’s bedroom into a chapel,
as she had wished. The bed in the alcove was
replaced by an altar. This oratory was blessed on
November 18th, 1840 by Father Dupanloup.
After her Uncle’s death, the Duchesse de
Dino became Duchesse de Talleyrand but lived
almost constantly at the Principality of Sagan
that she had just acquired. However, the
memories of Rochecotte did not leave her. Thus,
we can read in her memoirs: « I sometimes feel
some deep and melancholic regrets for that sweet
and quiet Rochecotte, that wide horizon with the
purest sky ». She passed away in 1862, shortly
after having written these lines. Nevertheless,
she offered Rochecotte to her daughter Pauline,
when she married the Marquis Henri de
Castellane.
5.
After her death, the estate of Rochecotte
became her three grandson’s property: Boni,
Jean and Stanislas who sold it to their brother-inlaw,
Emilio Terry, in 1934. He was an exceptional
landlord. He lived in Paris, Place du PalaisBourbon, in a charming residence previously
owned by Comte Boni de Castellane. He was of
Cuban origin and had a real admiration for XVIII
century mansions. Mr. Terry took great care in
conserving the memories of Rochecotte. Not
only did he keep the furniture of the times of the
Duchesse de Dino, but he also completed the
collection with pieces of furniture and artefacts
from the same period, which turned the lounges
and the library into remarkable suites.
ROCHECOTTE
Rochecotte s’élève au flanc blond du
coteau
Et c’est un ravissant château
Qui reçut autrefois le baiser de
l’Histoire
Devant l’horizon bleu que caresse la
Loire.
Ceux qui furent jadis les hôtes de ces
lieux,
Le diplomate habile et l’enfant aux
doux yeux
Ont enrichi ces murs d’un passé
précieux
Et si depuis longtemps leurs
paupières sont closes,
Les terrasses, le parc, les arbres et les
roses,
Tout ici garde encore l’écho tendre et
discret
Des entretiens touchants, des mots si
beaux à dire
Que rien qu’en écoutant le vent doux
qui soupire
Dans les ramures l’on croirait
Retrouver ce qui fît tout leur charme
secret :
La grandeur d’un esprit, la grâce
d’un sourire.
Magdeleine Mordacq
Rochecotte has become nowadays a
charming hotel where this sweet and fine « Art
de Vivre » that the Duchesse de Dino greatly
cherished, is perpetuated.
Those who will spend some time on these
premises must keep in mind when entering this
fine dwelling, the characters that made its
history. When you are on the magnificent Italian
terrace overlooking the Loire Valley, you can
hear the Prince and the Duchesse walking in the
park …
6.