So (Haut de Seine)

Middle Ages

The first information about the settlement on the territory of Co dates back to the 12th century. At this time, several winemaker huts appeared here. The Latin name of these huts ( cellae ) gave the name of the whole village - Co (originally Ceaux , later Seaux ). In 1170, a chapel was built in the village. The first mention of the existence in the parish church of St. John the Baptist dates back to 1203 and is contained in the charter of Ed de Sully , Bishop of Paris. The main occupation of the inhabitants of Co at this time was agriculture and winemaking. Until the 15th century, Co was subordinate to the chapel of Notre Dame . The village did not have a secular lord ; there was no castle on its territory. In the XV century, the country house of the Bayeux family was built in the village. Here in 1470, Jean Bayeux received King Louis XI with his retinue.

New time

Since 1597, the Potier de Gevres family settled in Co, and at the beginning of the XVII century. a castle was built on the estate. In 1670 , part of the village of Co was acquired by Jean-Baptiste Colbert , Minister of Finance of Louis XIV , by whose order Co Castle was built here. The bulk of the population was concentrated in the western part of the settlement. By the beginning of the XVIII century. the population totaled about 500 people, mainly winemakers, traders, artisans. At the beginning of the XVIII century. a pottery workshop arose in the village, which had turned into a ceramic factory by 1740. In 1758, 90 workers worked at the factory, half of which were residents of the village of So.

In 1699, the estate passed to the illegitimate son of Louis XIV, the Duke of Manx . In 1790, the first mayor of the village, Richard Glo, director of the Faience and Porcelain Manufactory, was elected at a meeting of 125 of the most active taxpayers Co. In 1793, the castle of Co was confiscated as a national treasure. An agricultural school was located on its territory. In the same year, by the decision of the municipality, services in the parish church were terminated. Since 1795, worship has resumed.

Since 1800, Co has become the administrative center of suprefecture . By 1812, the population of Co totals 1,400 inhabitants. In 1846, a railway station was built in Co; this became an incentive for the rapid development of the economy of the commune. By the middle of the XIX century. there were two factories on the territory of Co (the Faience and porcelain manufactory and the Boulogne crew workshop), as well as a printing house. In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War , Co was captured by Bavarian troops. Significant damage was done to the castle and the church, many houses of the village were looted. In 1885, a general-education male lyceum Lacanal was opened in Co, which quickly gained fame. By 1896, the number of inhabitants reached 3926 people.

XX century

After the First World War, part of the territory of Co was purchased by the General Council of the Seine department, there appeared a lot of private houses with gardens, which since 1929 formed the Park quarter. In the 1930s, active urbanization of the northern part of Co began. High-rise buildings are being built, mainly HLM , as a result of which a sharp population jump has been observed in the 1950s: from 10,000 in 1946 to almost 20,000 in 1968. In 1934, in the Blazhi quarter, the second church of Co was built - the church of St. Stanislav, and in 1964 in the west of the commune - the church of St. Batilda.

Current status

Co has a population of 19,494 (data for 1999). The commune is led by the mayor, who has been Philippe Laurent since March 2001. The administration also includes 9 mayors, 18 municipal councilors from the majority of the Vivre à Sceaux municipal group (Live in Co) and 6 municipal councilors from the opposition group Sceaux avenir - La voix des Scéens (Future Co - Voice of the Seants ”). Since 1994, the Gemini Theater Center ( Les Gémeaux ) has been located on the territory of Co.

Colbert Castle

The first castle on the territory of Co was built at the beginning of the XVII century by the Potier Gevre family in the style of Henry IV or Louis XIII . Having acquired part of the village in 1670, Jean-Baptiste Colbert expanded his ownership to one hundred hectares. The redevelopment of the park was entrusted to André Lenotre , the architect of the castle is unknown, possibly Antoine Lepotre . The main building of the castle was built by Maurice Gabriel and Jean Girard , a chapel in the south wing of the castle was erected under the direction of Claude Perrault . Charles Lebrun , Francois Girardon , Jean-Baptiste Tuby and others took part in the interior painting. The main axis of the André Lenotre park stretches more than a kilometer long from north to south parallel to the main facade of the castle. The park is decorated with many statues, pools, fountains and pavilions.

Marquise Senile Castle

After the death of Colbert in 1683, the castle passed to his son, the Marquis de Senile. Under him, the interiors of the castle acquired a more luxurious look. In 1686, according to the project of Jules Arduin-Mansard , the Orangery was built, partially preserved to this day. The park was significantly expanded, reaching a size of 225 hectares. A second axis was drawn perpendicular to the first, by 1691 the Grand Canal had been dug, 1140 m long.

Castle in the 18th century and during the French Revolution

In 1700, the Duke of Manx, the illegitimate son of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan, became the owner of the castle. On the orders of his wife, Anna Louise Benedict , who made the castle With his main residence, Jacques de La Gepierre built the Pavilion-Menagerie (not preserved) in the northern part of the park.

In 1793, in connection with the revolution , the castle and the park were confiscated as a national treasure, an agricultural school was located on the territory. Most of the statues were taken to the museum of the French monuments of Alexander Lenoir . In 1798, the estate was acquired by the merchant Jean-Francois-Hippolyte Lecomte, by order of whom, around 1803, the dilapidated castle was dismantled and the materials sold out.

Marshal Mortier Castle

In 1828, the castle passed to Lekomt's son-in-law to Napoleonic Marshal Mortier , Duke of Trevis. In 1835, Mortier died during the assassination attempt on King Louis-Philippe of France. From 1856 to 1862, the construction of the castle in the style of Louis XIII, preserved to this day, begins on the site of the former Colbert Castle, designed by architect Auguste Teofil Cantine, under the direction of Joseph-Michel Le Sufache . The park is being restored according to the sketches of Lenotra.

Current status

In 1923, the then owner of the castle, Princess de Fosigny-Sistria, was forced to sell her property. By decision of the General Council of the Seine Department, the castle was acquired from her, and restoration began. Restoration work began in 1928 under the leadership of architect Leon Azem . The general features of the Lenotra plan were returned to the park. The restored Grand Cascade was decorated with mascarons by Auguste Rodin . Work was completed only in the 1970s. Since 1937, the castle houses the Ile de France Museum . The park is open to the public.

• Louis de Sylvestre , an artist, was born in Co in 1675.
• Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, Duke of Manx , son of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan ; died in Co in 1736.
• Jean-Baptiste Marino , leader of the French Revolution , was born in Coe in 1767.
• Simeon-Denis Poisson , a French mathematician and physicist, died at Co in 1840.
• Augustin Louis Cauchy , a mathematician, died at Co in 1857.
• Jean Maurice Emile Bodot , French engineer, inventor of the Bodot code , died in Co in 1903.
• Pierre Curie and Maria Sklodowska Curie married Co in 1895, lived here and are buried in the family crypt of the Curie family. In 1995, their remains were transported to the Pantheon .
• Irene and Frederic Joliot-Curie lived in Co and are buried here in 1956 and 1958.
• Alain Delon , actor, was born in Co in 1935.
• Marie-Georges Buffet , female politician, secretary of the French Communist Party , was born in Co in 1949.
• Philippe Lageri , French priest, founder of the Institute of the Good Shepherd , was born in Co in 1952.

• The official website of the city of Co (French)
• Parish of St. John the Baptist in Co (French)
• The official website of Co Park (French)
• Museum of Ильle-de-France (French)