The Château de Sauvan is an 18th-century French manor located in the commune of Mane, near

Forcalquier Forcalquier (; ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Forcalquier is located between the Lure Mountain( fr) and Luberon mountain ranges, about south of Sisteron and west of the Durance river. Dur ...

in the Department

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (sometimes abbreviated as AHP; ; ; ), formerly until 1970 known as Basses-Alpes (, ), is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the sou ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The gardens of the chateau are classified as one of the

Remarkable Gardens of France The Remarkable Gardens of France is intended to be a list and description, by region, of the more than three hundred gardens classified as ''"Jardins remarquables"'' by the Ministry of Culture (France), Ministry of Culture and the Comi ...

by the French Ministry of Culture. Privately owned, and classified as a French historical monument since 1957, the Château de Sauvan is sometimes called "The

Petit Trianon The Petit Trianon (; French for 'small Trianon') is a Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical style château located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, France. It was built between 1762 and 1768 ...

of Provence," because of its resemblance to that building.

History

The château was built between 1719 and 1720 by Marquis Joseph Palamède de Forbin-Janson, on a plan of the architect

Jean-Baptiste Franque Jean-Baptiste Franque (Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, February 1, 1683 - Avignon, March 26, 1758) was a French architect. He was the father of François II Franque and Jean-Pierre Franque, also architects, and therefore the father-in-law of the archit ...

from Avignon. The château is in the form of classical one-story rectangle, with a balcony supported by four columns and a triangular pediment. The roof is hidden behind a balustrade. During the French Revolution the pediment was damaged by hammers, but otherwise the building suffered little damage. During the French Revolution, the Comtesse and Princesse de Gallean Forbin-Janson, the owner of this Château, who resembled Queen

Marie-Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the wife of Louis XVI. Born Archd ...

, is said to have offered to try to save the Queen by taking her place in the cells of the Conciergerie in Paris, where she was being held prisoner. She brought together a million francs, her entire fortune, to finance the project, but the Queen rejected the offer, sending her a note saying, "I cannot, and do not want to accept the sacrifice of your life. Adieu." When the plot was exposed, the Countess was forced to go abroad.See website of the chaeau, www.chateaudesauvan.com

References

External links

Internet site of the chateau
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sauvan, Chateau De Châteaux in Alpes-Maritimes Gardens in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Museums in Alpes-Maritimes Historic house museums in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Monuments historiques of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence