Their initials are intertwined in La Chapelle extérieure sud of the VÉTHEUIL church, which we know owes its construction to the generosity of the Seigneur de la Roche-Guyon and his wife Anne, but what do we know of their history and why did they finance the work?
Anne de LAVAL was born in 1525, heiress baroness of Acquigny and Crévecoeur, and first lady-in-waiting to Catherine de MEDICIS in the 16th century. She was a cousin of King Henry II.
Louis de SILLY, son of the Comte de la ROCHE-GUYON, is thought to have been born around 1510, and was also a member of King Henry II's court, as were the heirs of France's great families at the time. It was here that Louis and Anne met.
They married in 1539, when Anne was just 14, but it was a beautiful love story. With their first child still to come, legend has it that they made a pilgrimage to Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in VÉTHEUIL, which granted their wishes in 1545 (they had three children).
In gratitude, they decided to build a chapel to Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (the south portal chapel we know today). The chapel was built in the Renaissance style. They commissioned the architect Jean GRAPPIN (who also built the west portal of VÉTHEUIL church). The chapel was completed around 1561. The caissons bear the initials of Anne de LAVAL and Louis de SILLY.
Louis de Silly died in 1554 at La Roche-Guyon, aged just 44. Anne de LAVAL then decided to have the Château d'Acquigny built in memory of her eternal love for her husband, according to plans using their four intertwined initials. The château is known as the "Château de l'amour".
The Louis de Silly line died out in 1628 with the death of François de SILLY.
To find out more about Château d'ACQUIGNY, click here
