Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Armeillère estate, also known as Château de l'Armellière, was built in 1605 on the road to Salin-de-Giraud, at the place called Le Sambuc, on the town of Arles. His sponsor, Pierre de Sabatier, an Arlesian entrepreneur, wishes to establish a country residence on his land in Camargua. Work began with the extraction and transport of stones from the quarries of Mouleyrès and Beaucaire, followed by the clearing of 28 sesterées de terrain. Sabatier successively hired local artisans: boatmen, carriagemen, and then master mason Pierre Breugier, from Montpellier, to build the building according to his instructions.

The construction was first stopped in October 1606 because of a disagreement with Breugier, whose contract was broken. A new master mason, Jean Cavar de Beaucaire, resumed work in November 1606 to complete the structural elements: exterior walls, corner towers, stairwells, mâchicoulis inspired by those of the Laval-Castellane hotel and the priory of Malta in Arles, as well as the vaults and decorations of the facades. No mention of an architect appears in the archives, although Antoine Borel, municipal architect of Arles, is mentioned as hypothetical designer of the plans. The work was completed in October 1607, allowing Sabatier to settle there before winter.

The castle, of transitional style between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, incorporates defensive elements (doves, mâchicoulis) and residential facilities. The balcony window on the façade could date from the reign of Louis XVI, suggesting further modifications. Partially listed as historical monuments in 1987 and 1989, the estate now includes the castle, its commons, enclosed gardens, and moat. Owned by an association, it bears witness to Provencal seigneurial architecture and constructive techniques of the early seventeenth century.

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