Logo Musée du Patrimoine

All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Corse
  4. Corse-du-sud
  5. 20167 Alata

  6. Castle of Punta

 Castle of Punta à Alata en Corse-du-sud

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château
Corse-du-sud

Castle of Punta

    15 Les Baraques
    20167 Alata
Château de la Punta
Château de la Punta
Château de la Punta
Château de la Punta
Crédit photo : H. MURACCIOLI - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1882
Buying Tuileries Stones
1883-1891
Construction of the castle
7 février 1977
Historical monument classification
7 août 1978
Destroyer fire
1991
Purchase by department
2020
Start of rehabilitation
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Terrace corresponding to facades (Box D 6): inscription by order of 27 July 1970; Façades and roofs, ground floor rooms with their decoration: entrance hall, staircase, small living room, large living room, dining room and library (Box D 6): classification by order of 7 February 1977

Key figures

Charles-Jérôme Pozzo di Borgo - Duke and original sponsor Inspiration of the memorial project.
Jérôme Pozzo di Borgo - Duke, heir and financier Get the stones of the Tuileries.
Charles Pozzo di Borgo - Count, son of Jerome Co-financer and manager of the castle.
Albert-Franklin Vincent - Architect of the castle Designs reconstruction plans.
Patrick Amico - Firefighter Died in the 1978 fire.

Origin and history

The Punta Castle was built between 1883 and 1891 in Alata, South Corsica, at the initiative of the heirs of Charles-Jérôme Pozzo di Borgo. The purpose of this project was to honour the memory of family ancestors by recreating a Renaissance pavilion in the Tuileries Palace, destroyed in 1871. The stones, bought in 1882 by the Duke Jérôme Pozzo di Borgo and his son Charles, were transported from Paris by train and then by boat, requiring even the digging of a road in the rock to transport the materials to the site.

The architect Albert-Franklin Vincent supervised the reconstruction, integrating architectural elements of the Tuileries, such as ionic and Corinthian columns, as well as interior decorations inspired by French castles (Écouen, Villeroy). A plate of red marble, affixed to the castle, recalls its origin: " [...] to preserve to the Corsican Patria a precious memory of the French Patria. The year of the Lord 1891." The building initially served as a family museum, but its isolation and climatic conditions limited its use.

In 1978, a fire ravaged the castle, destroying its structure and roof. That same year, a firefighter, Patrick Amico, lost his life trying to secure the place. Acquired in 1991 by the General Council of South Corsica, the monument was partially restored (metal carpent in 1996), but water infiltration and marine erosion worsened its degradation. Since 2020, a rehabilitation is underway, with a project suggesting the creation of an adjacent botanical garden.

Ranked a historic monument in 1977 for its facades and some interiors (vestibulum, salons, library), the castle illustrates 19th century architectural eclecticism. Its interior decoration, now missing, blended Renaissance and Empire styles, with elements such as a fireplace attributed to Germain Pilon or old tapestries. The terrace, registered in 1970, offers an exceptional view of the Mediterranean.

The Punta Castle also symbolizes the links between Corsica and French national history, through the re-use of Tuileries stones — a destroyed royal palace — and the desire of the Pozzo di Borgo to celebrate their heritage, both Corsican and aristocratic. Its hybrid architecture, combining historical facades and local additions, makes it a unique testimony to the romantic heritageization of the 19th century.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum