The turreted chateau, built in the 16th century, sits on a hill surrounded by 400 acres of woodland. Even today, ringed by suburbs, it still feels like a fairy-tale castle. It was designed as a hunting lodge for the Duc de Montmorency, right-hand man to kings François I and Henri II. Yet there is nothing rustic about Ecouen. To give some idea of how de Montmorency’s wealth, cultivation and connections found expression here, a portico was added in around 1550 to the castle to shelter Michelangelo’s “Slaves”. The statues were a gift from Henri II, who often stayed there with his Italian queen Catherine de’ Medici. Today the originals are in the Louvre; copies have taken their place.
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