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Château de Villebon-sur-Yvette
The Château de Villebon-sur-Yvette, in the Essonne, was built on the site of a fortified Gallo-Roman farm. Augustin de Thou, who became lord of Villebon in 1512, had the original castle pulled down and built three Renaissance pavilions with a gallery. The present entrance is a remnant of that period. In 1611 a fire destroyed part of the building. Jacques de Thou entrusted its reconstruction to the architect Métézeau, but the architect died as work began, and Jacques de Thou a few years later. His widow sold the half-finished château.
In 1626 André Potier, lord of Novion, acquired the estate and completed the work. On his death in 1645 his son Nicolas succeeded him and in 1656 had the two remaining wings of the Renaissance château restored. In 1777 Claude Gabrielle de Perthuis, wife of the Marquis de Pracomtal, decided to demolish the north gallery and the two Renaissance pavilions to build the north wing of the present château.
