Day of tribute to Jean Raindre, founder of the Mansart Foundation, on November 7th in Maintenon

On August 2, Jean Raindre passed away at the age of 102. Former owner of the Château de Maintenon, creator and active member of the Mansart Foundation, he will remain a major figure in French heritage. Throughout his life, he was passionately committed to the rescue, restoration, and opening to the public of the monument. A tribute will be paid to him on November 7th, 2026 in Maintenon.

Raised by his uncle Jacques Raindre after the early loss of his father, Jean developed a passion for history, music and languages at an early age. During the interwar period, while he was witnessing the transformations of Germany for two years spent in Bavaria, Jean Raindre refused to remain a spectator. He is actively involved in the Red Cross and joins several networks of mutual aid and resistance. This commitment led him to be arrested by the collaborating French police.

A graduate of Harvard Business School, he married in 1947 in New York Geneviève de Noailles, granddaughter of Duke Adrien de Noailles, met a few years earlier by the pool Deligny in Paris. An actor in the economic world, he participated in 1959 in the creation of INSEAD.

In 1953, his wife inherited the Maintenon estate heavily affected by the war, and together they devoted a large part of their lives to its restoration. In 1981, Jean Raindre created, with his wife, the Fondation du château de Maintenon, which became the Mansart Foundation in 2005. His dedication has earned him the title of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (2009) and Officier des Arts et des Lettres (2023).

Passeur de mémoire, Jean Raindre delivers at the beginning of 2018 memories of the occupation to Guillaume Lepron and Alexis Robin, giving rise to the book Maintenon en guerre (Éditions Beaufort). In 2019, anxious to ensure the continuity of the estate, he approached the board of directors, Albéric de Montgolfier, to take over the presidency of the Mansart Foundation.

A tribute on Saturday, November 7th

To honor his memory and celebrate his legacy, a day of tribute will be organized on Saturday, November 7:

• 3:30 p.m. Ceremony: A mass will be celebrated in the church of Saint-Pierre de Maintenon.
• Photo exhibition: A photographic journey retracing the life of Jean Raindre will be to discover in the gallery of portraits of the castle, whose opening will be exceptionally extended for the occasion.

The Mansart Foundation warmly invites the public and the inhabitants of the territory to come and celebrate the memory of the one who gave back all his brilliance to the Château de Maintenon.