The purpose of my visit to Saint Germain en Laye was to see the few remains of Château-Neuf which served as a royal residence from the second half of the 16th century until 1680. Château-Neuf was built on the grounds of the older Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, which became known as the Château-Vieux (Old Château).
Above: Château-Neuf in 1637 by Auguste Alexandre Guillaumot with the Old Château in the background. Château-Neuf was built by Philibert Delorme in 1557 under the reign of Henri II to accommodate the King’s Court. It is the birth place of Louis XIV and his brother, Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. Their father, Louis XVIII died here.
Above: the two remaining ramps of Château-Neuf terrace of at the end of rue Thiers. Below left: the Henri IV Pavilion where Louis XIV was anointed. Today, Henri IV Pavilion is a hotel and gourmet restaurant. Below right: the staircase that leads to the two remaining ramps of Château-Neuf terrace. Views of Paris can be seen in the background.
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye (below) is a former royal palace. Today, it houses the musée d’Archéologie nationale (National Museum of Archaeology) that covers pre-historic times to the Merovingian period (450–750).
Below: the Chapel Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye which was the model for the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. It was built between 1235 and 1239 by Louis IX , known as Saint Louis (1214-1270).
Below: Louis XIV had André Le Nôtre, gardener to the King, build the large terrace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye between 1669 and 1673.
When touring Saint-Germain-en-Laye, it is worth visiting Paroisse Saint-Germain (Saint-Germain Church of Saint-Germain-en-Laye) below. It is conveniently located across the street from Château-Vieux (Old Château).
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is located in the western suburbs of Paris in the Yvelines department, Île-de-France. It is easily reachable by RER A.