Château de la Mignarde
The Château de la Mignarde is a listed château in Aix-en-Provence.Location
It is located on the Route des Pinchinats on the Northern outskirts of Aix-en-Provence.History
It was built in the eighteenth century. The facade has twenty-seven windows. The drawing-room sports a wallpaper which was hand-painted, representing fields of rice in China. Throughout the garden, there are ponds and sculptures.
Jean-Joseph-Pierre Pascalis, a supporter of the monarchy, was hiding in this chateau when he was arrested in and killed during the French Revolution. A few decades later, in 1807, Pauline Bonaparte, sister of Napoleon, had an affair with Louis Nicolas Philippe Auguste de Forbin in this chateau. During her stay, she asked her staff to silence the frogs and cicadas with long poles.
It later belonged to the inventor of mignardises, a small petit four. His son, Sauveur Mignard, remodelled it. In 1858, it was purchased by Émile Rigaud, who served as the Mayor of Aix-en-Provence from 1849 to 1863.
It still belongs to one of Émile Rigaud's descendants, Sabine Sechiari, who founded the non-profit organization Association des bastides et des jardins de Provence et du Sud-Est. It has received funding for its restoration from Vieilles Maisons Françaises, a non-profit organization for the restoration of old buildings in France.Heritage significance
It has been listed as a monument historique since 1995.
