Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The château de l'Armellière, located on the road of Salin-de-Giraud at the place called Le Sambuc, was built from 1605 on the initiative of Pierre de Sabatier, who wanted a country residence on his Camargua lands. As early as April 1605, he organized the transport of stones since Mouleyrès's quarry and bought 8,000 quayrons of cut stone from carriages in Beaucaire. The work began soon, but a conflict with the first master mason, Pierre Breugier, interrupted the work in October 1606. A new contract was signed with Jean Cavar, mason of Beaucaire, to complete the walls, corner towers, and decorative elements such as mâchicoulis and gargoyles.

The construction ended in October 1607, with the exception of slots and chimney covers, allowing Pierre de Sabatier to settle there before winter. The plans could be attributed to Antoine Borel, Arlesian architect, although the archives do not mention any official architect. The mâchicoulis are inspired by those of the Hotel de Laval-Castellane and the priory of Malta in Arles. The window door on balcony, added later, would date from the reign of Louis XVI.

The estate is partially protected as historical monuments: the communes are registered in 1987, while the castle, its gardens, moats and outbuildings are classified in 1989. Today, the site belongs to an association and bears witness to the residential architecture of the 17th century, mixing medieval and Renaissance influences.

The archives reveal a careful organization of the site, with contracts for masonry, carpentry, iron and carpentry. Materials, such as Beaucaire's stone, and local artisans, including the Sabonnadière brothers (carpenters) and Bonnefoy Vernet (serrurier), illustrate the Arlesian artisan economy of the time. The clearing of 28 sesterées in 1605 also suggests a desire to develop an agricultural estate around the castle.

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