Pavillon de chasse

During the Renaissance, princes and great lords built pavillons de chasse for their leisure in their forest estates.

These pavilions were in the Renaissance style and looked more like richly ornate manor houses than princely castles or palaces.

They were effectively second homes with a rustic appearance but with the comfort and decor worthy of the rank of their owners at the time, and designed by renowned architects attached to their court.

[1] During the Ancien Régime, interest in hunting lodges grew across Europe, especially in the Holy Roman Empire, where the Jagdschloss was prized by its nobility.

From 1661, his successor and his son, Louis XIV, seized with a real passion for this modest building, transformed it into a château.