Château

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The castle is intimately linked to the history of the village. Its construction in the 12th century by the lords of Opio constitutes its birth. They choose the place-name Castellara, implying the pre-existence of a fortified complex. Indeed, the site, located on a promontory, allows the local lords to establish a safer stronghold. The Castello Novo appears in sources in 1153. It is from its origins a co-seignory involving the bishops of Antibes. At the end of the century, the counts of Provence take control of the region then entrust in 1217 the castrum to Oberto, count of Vintimille. In the middle of the 13th century, Pierre de Châteauneuf succeeds in making himself master of the entire seignory which remains under the guardianship of the count of Provence. The latter organises the secession between Châteauneuf and Opio in 1257 and even goes so far as to recover the seignory at Pierre's death. In May 1265, he entrusts his fief to Guillaume Vicedominus, archbishop of Aix and future pope Gregory XI. In 1306, the Count of Provence sells the castle to the Genoese Simon de Passano who, three days later, resells it to Raimond de Grasse-Cabris. The latter is related to the Lascaris in 1385. In the 15th century, the Lascaris family remains the principal lord of Châteauneuf. It unites with the Villeneuve in 1526. The castrum is destroyed during the incursions of Charles V in the region at the end of the 1530s. In 1618, Marguerite de Villeneuve-Lascaris marries Hubert de Puget Saint-Marc. The latter already harbours ambitions for a strong establishment at Châteauneuf as he has a new castle built between 1625 and 1627 on the ruins of the castrum. The structure which stands today on three levels, of which one is an attic storey, above a cellar, does not allow us to comprehend the reality of this reconstruction as it has evolved considerably since. The initial plan of the castle was to comprise only two bays around that of the entrance portal which would have been at that time in place in a facade composition of perfect symmetry. Their son Marc-Antoine du Puget places himself in the wake of this ambition and succeeds in acquiring a large part of the seignory during the century. In 1679, Antoine du Puget reaches an agreement with the bishop of Grasse so that the latter abandons his rights over Châteauneuf. Throughout the 18th century, the du Puget family remains owner of the castle. At this time, a vast remodelling of the building is undertaken. The facades are entirely recomposed and the interior distribution is modernized. At the end of the century, the death of Jean-Paul de Puget leaving no direct heir, the property reverts to Louis de Geoffroy du Rouret (1753-1816), governor of Antibes whose military career is distinguished by the Legion of Honour. His son, François Félix (1797-1864) becomes mayor of Grasse from 1841 to 1848. Honoré Geoffroy du Rouret (1824-1892) pursues a career in the navy from 1843 to become frigate captain after 1869. He is furthermore decorated with the Legion of Honour in 1862. He is responsible for the redecoration of the castle in the last third of the century. At this time, the property includes approximately 21 hectares of agricultural plots located in the districts of the pré du lac, Magagnosc, la treille, la Colle and Bastian. Felix Geoffroy du Rouret (1868-1940) continues the agricultural development of the property by building in particular an irrigation system for the lands of Saint-Sébastien which allows the cultivation of jasmine and rose - used by the perfumeries of Grasse - to develop.