Château de Sauvan

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de Sauvan, in the commune of Mane near Forcalquier (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), was built between 1719 and 1720 for the Marquis Joseph Palamède de Forbin-Janson, to plans by the Avignon architect Jean-Baptiste Franque. Its classical architecture, rare in Provence, has earned it the nickname "Petit Trianon de Provence" because of its resemblance to the neoclassical pavilions of the Île-de-France. The building has a rectangular plan with one upper storey, adorned with a central balcony supported by four columns and crowned by a triangular pediment; its roof is concealed behind a balustrade. During the French Revolution the pediment was damaged with hammer blows, but the building was largely spared; according to local tradition, its owner at the time, the Comtesse de Gallean Forbin-Janson, is said to have offered to take Marie Antoinette's place in prison. Still privately owned, the château has been listed as a historic monument (classé) since 1957, as has its park. The gardens, restored by the current owners, received the "Jardin remarquable" (Remarkable Garden) label in 2005, and the park restoration project was honoured in 2022 with the Monument historique vivant prize of the Fondation Mérimée. The château, fully furnished and decorated in the taste of the period, can be visited on guided tours.