Songdyn Castle Museum, Known as the "Little Louvre"

Text and photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang. The exquisite Songdyn Castle (Renaissance style) is the most beautiful and enchanting castle in the suburbs of Paris, the City of Light. It boasts not only first-class gardens but also a magnificent museum with a rich collection. Delicate and refined, it is known as the "Little Louvre." Here, treasures range from medieval manuscripts and paintings to classic Western masterpieces of the 19th century, such as works by Italian Renaissance masters Botticelli, Lippi, and Piero di Cosimo, and Raphael—one of the Three Great Masters of the Renaissance—featuring typical Western paintings like The Three Graces, Madonna and Child with Saint Aurelia, and Madonna of Loreto. Also included are Jean Clouet’s portrait of Francis I from the Fontainebleau School.

Notable works include Poussin’s masterpiece The Massacre of the Innocents from the 17th-century French school, Watteau’s Une Femme Inquiete from the 18th-century Rococo period, Corot’s A Country Concert from the 19th-century Barbizon School, and Ingres’ self-portrait at age 24 and the portrait of Madame Dvaucey from the Neoclassical era. In total, there are brilliant works by 85 famous painters. Additionally, there is a set of classic medieval manuscript treasures, currently unique in the world.

Furthermore, there is an enchanting library and several apartments filled with furniture: the Hall of the Big Monkey, the War Hall, the Prince’s Hall, the Hall of the Great Corner Cabinet, and the Music Hall, among others, leading visitors into a time tunnel of France’s glorious history. Outside the castle lies a horse museum, hosting regular horse races and equestrian performances every year.