Construction of the castle 1700-1799 (≈ 1750)
Edited by Joseph Lafant, Councillor in Parliament.
16 mars 1982
First MH protection
First MH protection 16 mars 1982 (≈ 1982)
Façades, roofs, garden and gate classified.
29 octobre 2021
Registration
Registration 29 octobre 2021 (≈ 2021)
Protection extended to all buildings.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The facades and roofs (cf. HP 38): inscription by decree of 16 March 1982; The remaining part of the ordered garden, with its basins and statues, including the fountain, as well as the entrance gate (Box HP 38): classification by decree of 16 March 1982; In all, the following parts of the whole formed by the domain of the castle of Lainfant, as delimited on the plan annexed to the decree: the castle of Lainfant with its level of cellars, the old outbuilding known as "the communes" to the west of the master house with the old stake and the cellars remaining, the old chapel to the north of the master house, the old access road to the west of the master house with its double alignment of plane trees, the park to the north and east of the master house consisting of the plate plots of the former house of the farmer known as "grand communes", the pigeon house and the old vegetable garden, the house of the farmer known as "grand communes", the pigeon house and the elevations of the former vegetable garden, the aqueduct wall with its hydraulic device, the park to the south of the master house constituted by the aisles of the ordered garden, the green cabinet known as "garden de raisonance" and the plots to the east of the park, the aqueduct wall with its hydraulic device, the south of the aisle of the aisle consisting of the aisle of the ordered garden, the
Key figures
Joseph Lenfant - Counsellor in the Parliament of Aix
Builder of the castle in the 18th century.
Jean-Louis Lanfant - Consul of Aix
Father of Joseph, purchaser of the hotel.
Origin and history
The castle of Lafant, also known as the castle of Lanfant, is an 18th-century building located in the district of Saint-Hilaire in Aix-en-Provence. It belonged to the Lafant family, notable in the region, and was built by Joseph Lafant, a councillor in the Parliament of Aix, whose father, Jean-Louis Lanfant, was consul of the city and owner of the hotel of Lafant. This castle illustrates the architecture and lifestyle of the Aixese elites of the time.
The facades, roofs, as well as the ordered garden and its entrance gate were protected as early as 1982, with an inscription and classification as historical monuments. In 2021, the entire estate was listed, including remarkable elements such as cellars, communes, an old chapel, a pigeon house, a vegetable garden, a wall-aqueduct, and a green cabinet called a freshness garden. These protections highlight the exceptional heritage value of the whole.
The domain of the castle of Child, now shared between private and communal property, bears witness to the importance of aristocratic residences in the Aix landscape. Its park, aisles of plane trees, and hydraulic devices reflect a sophisticated landscape design, typical of the large provencal estates of the eighteenth century. The classified elements, such as the statues and ponds of the garden, reinforce its historical and artistic character.
