Construction of the bastide 3e quart du XVIIe siècle - XVIIIe siècle (≈ 1762)
Initial construction period and extensions
16 novembre 1984
Double heritage protection
Double heritage protection 16 novembre 1984 (≈ 1984)
Classification of the garden, inscription of the facades
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The garden ordered with its terraces, its architectural elements and its access road to the estate (Cd. EC 28): classification by decree of 16 November 1984; The façades, including the staircase on the main façade, and the roofs (Cd. EC 28): inscription by decree of 16 November 1984
Origin and history
La bastide de Repentance is a bastide located in Aix-en-Provence, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Built between the 3rd quarter of the 17th and 18th centuries, it embodies the Provencal residential architecture of this period, marked by sober facades and structured gardens. This type of dwelling was often linked to the aristocracy or to the affluent bourgeoisie, reflecting their social status through elements such as terraces and ordered alleys.
The monument has been partially protected since 1984: its facades and roofs are listed as historical monuments, while its garden, with terraces, architectural elements and access aisle, is ranked. This double distinction highlights the heritage value of both the building and its landscape, typical of Provençal bastides.
Aix-en-Provence, the region's historic city, had many similar bastides, often integrated into an agricultural or winery. These secondary residences served as resorts for local elites, while playing a role in the economic and social organization of the territory. The Repentance bastide is thus part of a network of properties that shaped the Aix landscape.
No information is available on original owners, architects or specific events related to this bastide. The sources are limited to its heritage protection and its precise location, at 25 B Chemin de l'Olivette. Its current state (openness to the public, private use) is not documented in the reference texts.
The bastide illustrates the evolution of lifestyles between the 17th and 18th centuries in Provence, where the influence of Italian and French architectural models blends with local traditions. The ordered gardens, like Repentance's, were designed to highlight man's mastery of nature, an aesthetic and philosophical ideal of the time.
Finally, its inclusion in the list of historical monuments of Aix-en-Provence in 1984 demonstrates the desire to preserve this heritage, at a time when the protection of private buildings was gaining importance in France. Bastide remains a representative example of the region's cultural and landscape heritage.
