Vauvenargues, Bouches-du-Rhône
Encyclopedia
Vauvenargues is a commune
in the Bouches-du-Rhône
department in southern France
. It is close to Aix-en-Provence
and the Montagne Sainte-Victoire
.
it was the seat of the de Clapiers family, who rebuilt the chateau in its present form and on whom Louis XV bestowed the title Marquis of Vauvernagues. For 150 years after that it was occupied by the d'Isoard family. In the mid-twentieth century its connection with French nobility lapsed. It was eventually bought in 1958 by Pablo Picasso
, who was resident until 1962. Picasso
and his wife Jacqueline are buried in the forecourt of the chateau, which is still the private property of the Picasso family.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is close to 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...
and the Montagne Sainte-Victoire
Montagne Sainte-Victoire
Montagne Sainte-Victoire — in Provençal Occitan: Venturi / Santa Venturi according to classical orthography and Ventùri / Santo Ventùri according to Mistralian orthography — is a limestone mountain ridge in the south of France which extends over 18 kilometres between the départements of...
.
Population
Chateau of Vauvenargues
The chateau in Vauvenargues stands on the site of a Roman fort which eventually was incorporated in a medieval fortress controlled by the Counts of Provence and later the Archbishops of Aix. For 250 years until the French revolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
it was the seat of the de Clapiers family, who rebuilt the chateau in its present form and on whom Louis XV bestowed the title Marquis of Vauvernagues. For 150 years after that it was occupied by the d'Isoard family. In the mid-twentieth century its connection with French nobility lapsed. It was eventually bought in 1958 by Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
, who was resident until 1962. Picasso
and his wife Jacqueline are buried in the forecourt of the chateau, which is still the private property of the Picasso family.