Jean Cocteau House

The tomb of Cocteau, decorated with his work, is found in a small chapel, Saint Blaise des Simples, at the edge of town not from the house.

[1] The house was originally constructed during the reign of Henry IV of France and a clerical residence, with twelve rooms, adjacent to the Chateau of Milly-la-Forêt.

In 1947, at a time when his fame and fortune had been greatly increased by the enormous success of his film Beauty and The Beast, Cocteau and his frequent companion of the time, the film actor Jean Marais, purchased part of the domain of the chateau, including the house, garden and part of the woods, and used it as a retreat from his residence on Rue Montpensier in Paris.

Cocteau died on October 11, 1963, at the age of 73 years, and was buried in the Chapel of Saint-Blaise-des Simples nearby, which he had decorated.

In 2002 the businessman and philanthropist Pierre Bergé purchased the house, with the assistance of the Regional Council of the Essonne and the French Ministry of Culture, and began an extensive campaign of restoration between 2005 and 2010.