The royal abbey of Chaalis and the Jacquemart-André collections

When Nélie Jacquemart-André, widow of the banker Édouard André, bequeathed Chaalis to the Institut de France in 1912, she wished that it would forever remain « a peaceful place to visit » and « one of the most admirable landscapes in France ». The beauty and grandeur of the ruins are a visual reminder of the great spiritual influence of this former Cistercian abbey, founded by Louis VI in the heart of the forest of Ermenonville. The delicate paintings in the chapel of Saint Mary, commissioned from Primaticcio by Cardinal Ippolito d'Este, are one of the splendours of the Renaissance. The spirited Rose Paméla de Vatry transformed the abbey into a chateau, which Nélie Jacquemart-André later filled with her prestigious art collection, including an outstanding set of Italian Primitives numbering two works by Giotto and a remarkable collection of memorabilia linked to the 18th-century philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.