dressed stones and quarry stone, cinderblocks, half-timbering over glazed bricks (to protect the wood from humidity), and locally baked pink bricks. Since its restoration in 2008, this former stable holds display glass cases containing ancient tools as well as planks of wood from the trees in the park. Depending on the species, the trees’ veins and the colors are highly varied and make for interesting comparisons.

At one end of the roof, a small bell tower marked the hours of the offices. At the other end, the angel of the last judgment appears as a weathervane to remind us that we must prepare ourselves for all that awaits us in the afterlife.

The architecture of this typically French construction is both simple and harmonious, much like the lifestyle Monsieur d’Acquigny chose to lead. The symmetry and the interplay of colors – blue slate, pink brick, white stone – play an essential role in the beauty and the balance that radiate from this building.

Since its restoration in 2000, the orangery today shelters a collection of citrus trees, palm trees, and Mediterranean plants. It also serves as an exhibition room, a concert hall, and a reception room.

The church of Sainte Cécile of Acquigny, as well as its 18th century bell tower, was entirely reconstructed by Monsieur d’Acquigny. This parish church, much like all of Monsieur d’Acquigny’s constructions, was designed by Charles Thibault.The magnificent interior ornamentation in the “Rocaille” style (18th c.) in three plans (nave, choir and chapel of the Holy Ghost) lends it a consistency and a richness that is not often found in provincial village churches. The neoclassical façade derives from the ongoing construction from 1755 to 1783. Monsieur d’Acquigny called on the grand artists of the period such as Fouquet, Lamine, Jean-Baptise Huet, Peyron, and more to decorate the interior of the church. His children served as models for the decorative angels, and his wife was the model for the face of the statues of Sainte Cécile and Sainte Catherine of Alexandria. The decorative pattern of the chapel behind the choir, which served as the château chapel until the Revolution, honors the Holy Ghost. Monsieur d’Acquigny commissioned this theme to thank the Lord for giving him a long-awaited son, who was born on the day of the Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Ghost, and who was named Esprit (Spirit).

In the 18th century, the church plaza was framed by the former presbytery, made for the orders of friars and nuns, a boys’ school, and a girl’s school behind the convent on the road to the church. This beautiful ensemble of buildings was constructed by Monsieur d’Acquigny to fulfill the needs of the inhabitants of the village of Acquigny. For more information about the church, you may consult the website of “les Amis de l’église Sainte Cécile d’Acquigny” (Friends of the Church of Sainte Cécile of Acquigny), an association dedicated to renovating and restoring the church as well as improving the public’s understanding of it, especially through conducting occasional visits.