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Château Grimaldi (Puyricard)
Encyclopedia
Puyricard
Puyricard is an agglomeration in the Bouches-du-Rhône département in Provence in the south of France, dependent on the town of Aix-en-Provence, approximately 10 km to the north...
near Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
is a mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
built within the ruined walls of a 16th century Château once belonging to the Archbishops of Puyricard. The original castle chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
remains built in the Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
style. Between 1655 and 1685 the château
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
served as residence of Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Girolamo Grimaldi-Cavalleroni
Girolamo Grimaldi-Cavalleroni
Girolamo Grimaldi-Cavalleroni was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Aix.-Biography:Grimaldi was born in Genoa, the son of Giacomo Grimaldi, a senator of the Republic of Genoa, and his wife Girolama di Agostino de' Mari.He was sent to Rome for his education, and...
who had rebuilt the chateau which had been in ruins for 70 years. As the residence of an archbishop the ruined Château is sometimes referred to as an episcopal
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
palace
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
. The term "palace" for any residence, no matter how large, other than episcopal is not commonly used in Europe for any rural building).
The earlier chateau had been the ancestral seat of the Princes of Baux, from whom it passed to the Archbishops of Puyricard. During the 17th century the incumbent archbishop Jerome de Grimaldi had the new plans for the restoration drawn up based on the Palazzo Farnese
Palazzo Farnese (Piacenza)
240px|thumb|The project for the façade of Palazzo Farnese, Piacenza, by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola.240px|thumb|The court.Palazzo Farnese is a palace in Piacenza, northern Italy.- History :...
. The principal facade was divided by pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s between which there were said to be 365 windows. The palace cost 2 million livre
French livre
The livre was the currency of France until 1795. Several different livres existed, some concurrently. The livre was the name of both units of account and coins.-Etymology:...
to construct from 1657-1678, yet it was to last little more than 50 years. In 1709, the palace was demolished, just a few walls survived the blasts of gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
necessary to demolish the thick walls,
The present structure built inside the walls is of a later date than the ruined Château and while referred to as a château is in fact little more than a large farm house. The main facade being of seven bays, with an entrance in the centre. On three floors, the top floor is low service floor
Servants' quarters
Servants' quarters are those parts of a building, traditionally in a private house, which contain the domestic offices and staff accommodation. From the late 17th century until the early 20th century they were a common feature in all large houses...
. The building has a low pitched roof of terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
pantile
Pantile (roof material)
A pantile is a type of fired roof tile, normally made from clay. It is S-shaped in appearance and is single lap, meaning that the end of the tile laps only the course immediately below...
s. The roof betrays the "château's" more humble origins. Had the building been constructed as a chateau, the roof would have been concealed, or given highly visible prominence in the French Renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
style.