Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / France / Le Grand-Lucé / Château du Grand-Lucé
Château du Grand-Lucé
Le Grand-Lucé, France · Independent · High Luxury
Mathieu de Bayeux built this neoclassical chateau between 1760 and 1764 for Baron Jacques Pineau de Viennay, a confidant of Louis XV. Enlightenment salons here hosted Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, and Mozart; the king is said to have given ten Versailles statue replicas for the 80-acre park. Louvre works were reportedly hidden in the stables in the Second World War. Designer Timothy Corrigan restored it, and Pilot Hotels opened 17 rooms on 1 June 2019.
- 17 rooms
- Opened 2019
- Architect: Mathieu de Bayeux; Timothy Corrigan
- Interiors: Timothy Corrigan
About Château du Grand-Lucé
- Built between 1760 and 1764 for a confidant of Louis XV, its Enlightenment-era salons hosted Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, and Mozart.
- Louis XV reportedly gifted the estate ten statue replicas from Versailles, and Louvre artworks were said to be hidden in its stables during the Second World War.
- American designer Timothy Corrigan restored the chateau in the 2000s before it opened as a 17-room luxury hotel on June 1, 2019.
History
Mathieu de Bayeux built Château du Grand-Lucé between 1760 and 1764 for Baron Jacques Pineau de Viennay, a confidant of Louis XV, as a neoclassical house in the Sarthe. Tradition places Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, and Mozart in its Enlightenment salons. Louis XV is said to have given ten Versailles statue replicas for the 80-acre park; treat that gift as court lore unless a household account is produced.
The estate later served as a military hospital and sanatorium. In the Second World War, Louvre works were reportedly hidden in the stables. American designer Timothy Corrigan bought and restored the château in the 2000s. Pilot Hotels opened 17 rooms on 1 June 2019. The house is still a Louis XV hunting-box plan, not a Loire fortress, with Corrigan's interiors over Bayeux's stone.
The setting
18 km from A28 highway. 29 km from medieval Catedral de Le Mans.
Restaurants and bars
- Le Lucé restaurant — Restaurant · Modern French
Experiences
- Cheese and wine picnic in the forest — Fromage et vin selections, perhaps arranged in a clearing in the forest.
- Evening cognac stroll in the classical garden — Cognac to sip while strolling through the classical garden under the constellations.
- Reinterpreted French valet service — Valet service for modern guests, from unpacking on arrival to a nightcap of cognac.
Amenities
- Spa
- Pool
- Fitness center
- Horseback riding
Awards
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
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