“A major setting in history”: we must save the salon where Louis XIII was born at the Château de Fontainebleau

In the Louis XIII salon of the Château de Fontainebleau (Seine-et-Marne), the gilding has lost its shine and the paintings have tarnished over time. But this more than four centuries old decor could soon regain its splendor. A donation campaign has just been launched to restore the paneling of this historic room of the imperial palace.

Thursday March 5, the association of Friends of the Château de Fontainebleau and the Heritage Foundation signed a partnership agreement to give a national dimension to the search for patrons. Objective: to finance the restoration of this exceptional decor, considered one of the most beautiful from the reign of Henri IV still visible in France

“Giving a future to our history”

Located in the heart of the castle, the Louis XIII salon was once the king’s large cabinet, where the sovereign received ambassadors and ministers. The history of the place is also linked to a major episode of the monarchy: in 1601, Marie de Medici gave birth there in public to the future Louis XIII. To celebrate this birth, Henri IV had a particularly rich decor created, mixing landscapes, vases of flowers, monochrome scenes and faux marble.

But four centuries have left their mark. Variations in humidity weakened the wood and caused lifting in the paint and gilding. A first emergency consolidation was carried out in 2024, but a complete restoration remains necessary. It includes a thorough cleaning, repair of the structure and the repair of gaps in the painting. In total, nearly 450 days of work will be necessary to restore the 120 m² of paneling.

“One of the most prestigious rooms of the castle, the Louis XIII salon is a major setting in the history of the 17th century,” underlines Patrice Burel, president of the Friends of the Château de Fontainebleau association. But today, “the paneling has suffered a very strong deterioration of its pictorial layer”.

For the Heritage Foundation, this project illustrates the broader issue of safeguarding historic monuments. “The Foundation’s vocation is to give a future to our history,” recalls its regional delegate Catherine Tissot-Colle, who sees in this partnership a way of mobilizing donors around an emblematic site of Île-de-France.

Individuals and businesses can participate in this restoration by making a donation via the collection opened by the Heritage Foundation, with a tax reduction. With this new collection, heritage defenders hope to give a second lease of life to one of the most symbolic rooms of the castle, a direct witness to the history of the kings of France.

Created in 2006, the Friends of the Château de Fontainebleau association today has more than 1,000 members. Since 2007, it has already contributed to the financing of around sixty restoration or acquisition projects to preserve this monument steeped in history.

Information: www.fondation-patrimoine.org