Jean II de Choisy
Court adviser and commissioner of Balleroy
Commission from 1631
A court adviser commissions a residence
Jean II de Choisy was an adviser to Gaston d’Orléans. He commissioned François Mansart to build Balleroy from 1631. The project extended beyond a single house: the château and village were conceived through a shared concern for perspective and spatial order. Choisy’s role was that of patron and commissioner, while Mansart supplied the architectural design.
The building site in the archives
Research published by Étienne Faisant in 2007 brings parish records into the history of the construction campaign. A contract for digging the moats dates from July 1631. Records from 1633 identify Pierre Laurent, responsible for earthworks, and Robert Fastier, master mason working for Choisy. Further entries place Fastier at Balleroy in 1634. These documents connect the commission with the people carrying out the work, providing a more precise account than a single construction date.
Étienne Faisant, Bulletin Monumental (2007) — construction records, 1631–1637
What a visitor sees today
The suspended staircase in Caen stone remains a key element of Mansart’s design. The furnishings represent several later periods, including collecting and refurnishing associated with the Forbes family. The present contents should therefore be understood separately from Choisy’s seventeenth-century commission.
Related residence
Château de Balleroy — history and visiting information
Sources
- Château de Balleroy — history and rooms
- Étienne Faisant, Bulletin Monumental (2007) — construction records, 1631–1637
Reviewed 2026-10-12. This account focuses on the documented residence commission.