The rich cultivable land of Clichy attract the Templars who settled there during the 13th century. In 1268, they built a commanderie on the site of a medieval housing. A real fortress, today only the foundations and the cellars remain. The new castle was built on the ruins of the commanderie. The castle went through thirteen demolitions and transformations before taking on its current look.
Ravaged during the Hundred Years' War, the former Templar commandery was rebuilt in 1491. Poorly maintained, the fortress slowly deteriorated until the 18th century. It then belonged to the Grand Priory of France of the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem. The refurbishment of which they were responsible in 1778, left the buildings in their entirety for the last time. When the church property was sold as national property during the French Revolution, the new owners, the bankers Mallet of Geneva, had a castle built slightly further north than the commandery. The grand staircase leading to the upper floors of the castle from this period was probably rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century.
At the beginning of the 19th century, an illustrious owner, Marshal Kellermann (1735-1820), Duke of the Empire and known as the victor of Valmy, acquired the castle. He transformed it (around 1800) into an ambitious building. The entrance gate overlooking the Marcel-Paul alley dates from this period. Elegant and of great finesse, it has lost the coat of arms of the owner that once adorned the center of its pediment. Near the gate, the janitor's lodge dates from the same period and remains one of the last vestiges of the castle built around 1800. It was seriously damaged during the Prussian occupation in 1870.
In the middle of the 20th century, the owner, Mr. Grampa, redecorated the double room. He mixed antique references with Egyptian and Greco-Roman elements. The fireplace, installed around 1965, comes from a Parisian apartment.
Following its las remodeling, the castle has been considerably reduced and no longer presents anything of the massive aspect of the commandery of the Order of the Temple. After having hosted a restaurant, the castle of Clichy is now a medical center.
Also to be read in Clichy-sous-Bois: The castle of the Viscount of Puységur
