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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur
  4. Var
  5. 83370 Fréjus

  6. Aurélien Castle

 Aurélien Castle à Fréjus dans le Var

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château de style néo-classique et palladien
Var

Aurélien Castle

    R.N. 7
    83370 Fréjus
Château Aurélien
Château Aurélien
Château Aurélien
Château Aurélien
Château Aurélien
Château Aurélien
Château Aurélien
Crédit photo : Cyrilb1881 - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1886-1889
Construction of the villa
1889
Seizure and auction
1904-1913
Changes in owners
1942-1943
Italian military occupation
1988
Repurchase by the city of Fréjus
1989
Historical Monument
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Rooms and their decor; all facades and roofs, including terraces; internal traffic spaces; the park and its factories (cad. YY 41): entry by order of 16 November 1989

Key figures

James Hiscutt Crossman - Initial sponsor English heir to the origin of the construction.
Marie-Lucie Valais - Owner and patron Welcome Gide and Rouart, created the garden.
Charles Cambefort - Landowner Acheta la villa in 1913, family owner 75 years.
François Léotard - Mayor of Fréjus and Minister Pilota acquired in 1988 for a cultural project.
Sylvain-Joseph Ravel - Architect co-conceptor Author of the neo-palladian plans with Lacreusette.
Henri Lacreusette - Architect co-conceptor Collaborated in the construction of the villa.

Origin and history

The Aurelian villa, originally known as Villa Crossman, was built between 1886 and 1889 by architects Sylvain-Joseph Ravel and Henri Lacreusette for James Hiscutt Crossman, heir to a dynasty of English brewers. Inspired by the Chiericati Palace of Vicence, this neo-palladian gem rises on the hill of Bellevue, between the Reyran valley and Valescure. Its name pays tribute to the proximity of the ancient Via Aurelia, while its park of 24 hectares, classified as a natural site in 1964, preserves traces of the Roman aqueduct from Mons to Fréjus. The construction, completed in 1887, was delayed by financial difficulties, leading to the seizure of the estate in 1889.

The villa changed hands several times in response to economic and historical hazards. Acquired in 1889 by Marie-Lucie Valais, widow of a Parisian stock exchange agent and collector of art, it became a place of reception for figures such as André Gide or Henri Rouart. In 1904 Emma de Tomaskiewicz failed to pay for the purchase, allowing Charles Cambefort, a director of Champagne companies, to acquire it in 1913. Renamed Villa Aurelienne, she remained in her family 75 years, before being assigned to the city of Fréjus in 1988 for her centenary. During the Second World War, it served as a headquarters for the Italian forces (1942-1943), then sheltered refugees, suffering degradation after the landing of Provence.

Classified as a Historic Monument in 1989 for its facades, roofs, interior decorations and park, the villa was renovated in 1993. Today dedicated to cultural and photographic exhibitions, it is distinguished by its marble galleries, stained glass windows signed Ducatez (1994), and its Mediterranean park mixing pines from Aleppo, palm trees and Roman remains. Its bouquet garden, restored in 2019-2020, bears witness to its landscape heritage created in 1891 by Marie-Lucie Valais. Despite the abandonment of the initial cultural project carried by François Léotard, the villa remains a symbol of the artistic and historical heritage of Fréjus.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum