Jean Raindre named an Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters.
28 July 2023
We learn with great pride and emotion that Jean Raindre, a well-known figure in Maintenon and Eure-et-Loir for his immense dedication to the rescue, restoration, and opening to the public of the Maintenon cASTLE, has been named an Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters.
Following the passing of Duke Adrien de Noailles in October 1953, Jean Raindre and his wife Geneviève de Noailles took on the challenge and embarked on the restoration of the Maintenon Castle , which had been heavily damaged during the Second World War. Thus, the couple undertook this major restoration project. With passion, determination, and courage, they gradually restored the castle to its former glory, befitting its rich history.
In parallel with his commitment to the heritage of Eure-et-Loir, Jean Raindre continued a career in the private sector and played a significant role in the founding of INSEAD in 1959, one of the world's most prestigious business schools.
In Maintenon, a foundation was established at his initiative in 1983 to ensure the site's sustainability and future. Starting in 2005, a partnership with the Eure-et-Loir Departmental Council supported its development, and in 2013, the gardens "à la française" were recreated based on the plans designed by Le Nôtre 350 years earlier.
In early 2018, Jean Raindre agreed to share the history of the site during World War II with Guillaume Lepron and Alexis Robin, who published Maintenon en guerre in the spring of the same year.
The following year, concerned about the future of the Maintenon estate and its development, Jean Raindre and the Board of the Mansart Foundation solicited Albéric de Montgolfier to assume the presidency. Recognized for its public utility, the foundation now carries out its mission through numerous significant projects.