Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

La Bastide du Roy, located in Antibes, has its origins in the late 16th century. In 1604 Henry IV acquired the castle of Antibes and his fief, and in 1608 received Bastide Roy (600 m2), probably a royal farm. Sold to the commune in 1779, it became the property of the farmer Dominique Mouttet in 1840, before being renamed Bastide du Roy.

In 1924, seamstress Jeanne Lanvin offered the estate to her daughter Marie-Blanche and her husband, Count Jean de Polignac. Between 1927 and 1929, the architect Louis Süe restored the building, while Jean-Claude-Nicolas Forestier, landscape architect of Versailles, created seven gardens inspired by the provencal parks of the eighteenth century. This project, unique in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, includes 365 olive trees, geometric beds, and water points symbolizing the cardinal points.

La Bastide becomes an artistic meeting place under the impulse of the Polignac couple, welcoming figures such as Jean Cocteau, Colette or Francis Poulenc. In 1971, Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones recorded Exile on Main St. In the 1980s, the sculptor Caesar and antique artist Jean Gismondi lived there. Classified as a Historical Monument (façades in 1988, gardens in 1990), it is now a private event venue managed by Gismondi heirs.

The history of the Bastide reflects its evolution from a royal farm to a cultural estate, marked by major restorations and a worldly life. Its architecture and gardens, works by Süe and Forestier, make it an exceptional testimony of Provencal heritage, between agricultural heritage and artistic influence.

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