L’Affaire Nicolas Fouquet

During the All Saints’ holidays, the Château de Grignan hosts the self-guided visit “L’Affaire Nicolas Fouquet”, a trail that replays the downfall of Louis XIV’s superintendent as part of the Année Sévigné.

Fouquet’s trial replayed in the rooms of the château

Visitors step into a château steeped in political scheming. The rooms have been decorated and staged especially for the holidays, and the Fouquet affair unfolds there just as it did in the 17th century, when he lost his position as superintendent to King Louis XIV.

This “sombre affaire du Grand Siècle” also reached Madame de Sévigné, and the trail shows how she came to be troubled by it at the time. The playful, interactive stroll suits families and groups of friends alike. It is a self-guided visit, open every day from 10am to 6pm, from 17 October to 1 November.

Two investigation booklets included in the ticket

Families can follow “L’affaire de l’écureuil sans nom”, an investigation booklet for children aged 7 and over. Adults have an investigation booklet of their own as well. Both are covered by the admission price.

Three visits to extend the investigation, including a candlelit evening visit

• Guided visit “Sévigné-Fouquet, l’histoire du procès du siècle !”: every day at 3pm, the château’s mediators take visitors back in time to retrace this story of friendship, as Louis XIV takes the kingdom firmly in hand again.
• Family guided visit “Faites entrer l’accusé”: every day at 11am, the château’s musketeers are given a new mission, helping the Sun King to arrest Fouquet, his finance superintendent. The open questions are whether the Grignans are involved and whether the Marquise de Sévigné is compromised, and families investigate together.
• Evening walk-through visit “Fouquet et Sévigné dans les coulisses du Grand Siècle”: on 23 and 30 October, from 6:30pm to 9pm, the château is lit by candles, and Madame de Sévigné, the Grignan couple and Monsieur Flame tell the extraordinary story of Fouquet, including the affair of the chickens, which worried the marquise greatly and nearly implicated her.

This holiday programme is run by the Département de la Drôme, with backing from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region. The detailed programme can be found at www.chateaudegrignan.fr.