Château du Castelet des Crozes

English translation

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History

Built at the end of the 18th century, the Castelet has retained the essentials of its original arrangements. Construction of the dwelling around 1770. It is a country house designed following a North-South axis of symmetry which dictates the overall composition including the gardens, presumably commissioned by Jean-Jacques Soulier, grandson of the castle's builder, from 1780 onwards. The estate is composed of a main dwelling, a kind of country house resembling the follies of the Montpellier or Pézenas region built in the 18th century, with outbuildings and pleasure gardens divided into compartments. The ornamentation of the façade is enlivened by medallions, finials and garlands on the pilasters of the central section and above the windows. The interior layout is that of the original design known from an undated 18th-century plan. The rooms have retained an exceptional décor from the end of the 18th century: antique-inspired painted décor rhythmed with coupled columns and false-marble plinths; walls enlivened with garlands and ribboned medallions with heads of Roman emperors. The interest of this ensemble lies notably in the presence of murals and wallpapers, inside the château, which date from the end of the 18th century, probably by the Reveillon manufactory. The gardens, of high quality, are compartmented gardens with embroidered parterres accompanied by orchards and vegetable gardens. The whole estate testifies to the success of the bourgeoisie at the end of the Ancien Régime, its adoption of the aristocratic way of life and innovative aesthetic forms.