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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Kerylos villa, located in Beaulieu-sur-Mer on the French Riviera, was built between 1902 and 1908 by architect Emmanuel Pontremoli for archaeologist and philhellène Théodore Reinach. Inspired by the Greek houses of Délos (IInd–Ist century BC), it embodies an ancient aesthetic ideal adapted to the modern comforts of the 20th century, with electricity, central heating and luxurious bathrooms. The noble materials (Carara marble, alabaster, exotic wood) and the decorations (mythological resins, mosaics, furniture inlaid with ivory) reflect a fusion between archaeological erudition and art nouveau.

Funded largely by Fanny Kann, wife of Reinach and heir of the Ephrussi family, the villa costs nine million gold francs. His name, Kerylos ("sea swallow" in Greek), evokes Mediterranean shores. When Reinach died in 1928, the estate was left to the Institut de France. During the Second World War, the Gestapo seized archives and works related to the villa, dispersing part of its documentary heritage.

Classified as a historic monument in 1966, the villa opened to the public in 1967 as a museum managed by the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres. His doric peristyle, his thematic pieces (library, andron, oikos) and his frescoes inspired by ancient vases make it a unique testimony of French Hellenism. In 2019, she hosted a state dinner between Emmanuel Macron and Xi Jinping. The outbuildings and gardens, registered in 2024, complete this site combining architectural and landscape heritage.

The interior, conceived as a "time machine", includes reproductions of Greek statues (Sophocle, Athena Lemnia) and furniture designed by Pontremoli, made by the cabinetmaker Bettenfeld. The murals, signed Adrien Karbowsky and Gustave-Louis Jaulmes, are inspired by mythological scenes (Toison d'or, Pelops wedding). The villa also illustrates a discreet modernity: underfloor heating, flexible jet showers, or hidden flat tops. Today, it houses symposia, exhibitions and a ceramic workshop reconstructing ancient techniques.

The outdoor areas, such as the customs gallery or the terraced garden, have been redesigned for cultural purposes. In 1997, an exhibition hall was created in the old customs passage, while kitchens became a space dedicated to Greek crafts. The Kerylos villa remains a symbol of the dialogue between antiquity and modernity, attracting researchers and visitors for its architectural eclecticism and its history linked to the intellectual elites of the Belle Époque.

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