Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Châteauneuf-Grasse came into being in the 12th century, when the lords of Opio built a stronghold on the promontory of Castellara, mentioned as Castello Novo since 1153. This castrum, initially coseigneuria with the bishops of Antibes, passed under the control of the Counts of Provence in the thirteenth century. In 1257 the seigneury was separated from Opio, then confiscated by the Count before being ceded to the Archbishop of Aix, future Pope Gregory XI. In the 14th century, the castle changed hands several times, notably between the Genoese and the family of Grasse-Cabris, allied with Lascaris, who remained lords until the 16th century.

The destruction of the castrum during Charles Quint's incursions (1530) marks a turning point. In 1625-1627 Hubert de Puget-Saint-Marc, the son-in-law of Marguerite de Villeneuve-Lascaris, built a new castle on the medieval ruins. The building, initially symmetrical with two spans, evolves considerably in the 18th and 19th centuries: the facades are recomposed, the interior modernized, and the property extends over 21 hectares dedicated to agriculture, especially to the cultivation of jasmine and rose for the grasse perfumeries.

In the 19th century, the Geoffroy du Rouret family, heir to the Puget family, marked the history of the castle. Louis (1753-1816), governor of Antibes and legionnaire, then his son François Félix (Mayor of Grasse) and his grandson Honoré (Captain of frigate) undertook major renovations there. The latter, decorated with the Legion of Honour, redecorates the castle in the last third of the century. Félix Geoffroy du Rouret (1868-1940) is finally developing an irrigation system for local crops, consolidating the link between the estate and the fatty perfume economy.

The castle, classified as a Historical Monument in 2024, today preserves its architectural ensemble (logis, outbuildings, garden, gate) and bears witness to the social and economic transformations of the region, from medieval lords to modern noble families.

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