Countess Lily Pastré (a.k.a. Marie-Louise Double de Saint-Lambert) (1891–1974) was a French heiress and patron of the arts. She sheltered many Jewish artists in her Château Pastré in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fran ...

during World War II. After the war, she helped establish the

Aix-en-Provence Festival The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence is an annual international music festival which takes place each summer in Aix-en-Provence, principally in July. Devoted mainly to opera, it also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumental ...

, an annual opera festival in

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label=Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...

Biography

Early life

Marie-Louise Double de Saint-Lambert was born in 1891 at 167 rue Paradis in

.Le Salon de Lily, Hommage à la Comtesse Pastré, mécène
, Culture 13
, Culture 13Lily Pastré, mécène éclairé et âme généreuse
'' La Croix'', 4/8/13David Coquille
Lily Pastré, du vermouth pour un conte de fée
, ''La Marsellaise'', April 07, 2014 Her father was Paul Double (1868-1935). Her paternal grandparents were Léon Double and Marie Prat (1849-1939), whose father, Claudius Prat (1814-1859), was the co-founder of

Noilly Prat Noilly Prat () is a brand of vermouth from France, owned by the Italian company Martini & Rossi, which is a subsidiary of Bacardi. "White" Noilly Prat is the archetype of dry, straw-coloured French vermouth. Noilly Prat now makes Red and Ambre ...

. She was thus an heiress to the Noilly Prat vermouth fortune. Her mother, Véra Magnan, was Russian. Her maternal great-grandfather was

Bernard Pierre Magnan Bernard Pierre Magnan (7 December 1791 in Paris – 29 May 1865 in Paris) was a Marshal of France. Magnan started his career as an enlisted soldier of the 66th Line in 1809. Promoted to sergeant in 1810, the next year he entered the officers r ...

, a

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...

. Beyond the Noilly Prat fortune, her family had become large landowners thanks to the

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...

systems and good marriages. They were originally from

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

before they moved to Marseille. Lily grew up in Marseille. She was raised as a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

. As a child, she was an avid tennis player and swimmer, and learned how to play the piano. One of her brothers, Maurice, was killed during the First World War in 1916.

Philanthropy

In the 1920s, she was a member of many society salons in Paris, including Marie-Blanche de Polignac's. It was there that she met many artists started supporting them, including

Henri Sauguet Henri-Pierre Sauguet-Poupard (18 May 1901 – 22 June 1989) was a French composer. Born in Bordeaux, he adopted his mother's maiden name as part of his professional pseudonym. His output includes operas, ballets, four symphonies (1945, 1949 ...

. She appeared in

Man Ray Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each ...

's 1929 film set at the Villa Noailles, '' Les Mystères du Château de Dé''. She also attended the opera festivals in Bayreuth and

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

In 1940, she established a philanthropic foundation to support the arts known as Pour que l’esprit vive (May the spirit live).Agnes Grunwald-Spier, ''The Other Schindlers: Why Some People Chose to Save Jews in the Holocaust'', The History Press, 2010, p. 3

/ref> In particular, it was meant to support struggling artists. It was headquartered on the Canebière. During World War II, she sheltered Jewish artists in the Château Pastré, including the harpist

Lily Laskine Lily Laskine (31 August 1893 in Paris – 4 January 1988 in Paris) was one of the most prominent harpists of the twentieth century. Born Lily Aimée Laskine to Jewish parents in Paris, she studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Alphonse Hasse ...

, the pianists Youra Guller and

Monique Haas Monique Haas (20 October 1909 – 9 June 1987) was a French pianist. Born in Paris, she studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Joseph Morpain and Lazare Lévy, taking a ''Premier Prix'' in 1927. She went on to study with Rudolf Serkin and Rob ...

, the painter Rudolf Kundera, etc. She was also asked by her friend

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pi ...

to shelter her Jewish lover, Norbert Glanzberg, and she agreed to do so.Carolyn Burke, ''No Regrets: The Life of Edith Piaf'', Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press, 2012, p. 8

/ref> Moreover, she arranged for the pianist

Clara Haskil Clara Haskil (7 January 1895 – 7 December 1960) was a Romanian classical pianist, renowned as an interpreter of the classical and early romantic repertoire. She was particularly noted for her performances and recordings of Mozart. She was also ...

to receive medical care and then escape to

Vevey Vevey (; frp, Vevê; german: label=former German, Vivis) is a town in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the district ...

, in Switzerland. She also hosted the cellist

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), usually known in English by his Castilian Spanish name Pablo Casals,

, the dancer

Josephine Baker Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...

Samson François Samson Pascal François (18 May 192422 October 1970) was a French pianist and composer. Biography François was born in Frankfurt where his father worked at the French consulate. His mother, Rose, named him Samson, for strength, and Pascal, fo ...

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

Georges Auric Georges Auric (; 15 February 1899 – 23 July 1983) was a French composer, born in Lodève, Hérault, France. He was considered one of ''Les Six'', a group of artists informally associated with Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie. Before he turned 20 he ...

André Masson André-Aimé-René Masson (4 January 1896 – 28 October 1987) was a French artist. Biography Masson was born in Balagny-sur-Thérain, Oise, but when he was eight his father's work took the family first briefly to Lille and then to Brusse ...

Paul Valéry Ambroise Paul Toussaint Jules Valéry (; 30 October 1871 – 20 July 1945) was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. In addition to his poetry and fiction (drama and dialogues), his interests included aphorisms on art, history, letters, mu ...

Lanza del Vasto Lanza del Vasto (born Giuseppe Giovanni Luigi Maria Enrico Lanza di Trabia-Branciforte; 29 September 1901 – 6 January 1981) was an Italian philosopher, poet, artist, Catholic and nonviolent activist. He was born in San Vito dei Normanni, ...

André Roussin André Roussin, (22 January 1911 – 3 November 1987), was a French playwright. Born in Marseille, he was elected to the Académie française on 12 April 1973. Bibliography *1933 ''Patiences et impatiences'' *1944 ''Am Stram Gram'' *1945 ''Un ...

Victor Brauner Victor Brauner (, also spelled Viktor Brauner; 15 June 1903 – 12 March 1966) was a Romanian painter and sculptor of the surrealist movement. Early life He was born in Piatra Neamț, Romania, the son of a Jewish timber manufacturer who subsequen ...

Luc Dietrich Raoul-Jacques Dietrich, better known as Luc Dietrich (17 March 1913, Dijon – 12 August 1944), was a French writer. Dietrich was born in Dijon. His father died when he was very young, and his mother was ill and addicted to drugs. She was frequ ...

Marcel Brion Marcel Brion (; 21 November 1895 – 23 October 1984) was a French essayist, literary critic, novelist, and historian. Early life The son of a lawyer, Brion was classmates in Thiers with Marcel Pagnol and Albert Cohen. After completing hi ...

, Gérard Bauër,

Raoul Dufy Raoul Dufy (; 3 June 1877 – 23 March 1953) was a French Fauvist painter. He developed a colorful, decorative style that became fashionable for designs of ceramics and textile as well as decorative schemes for public buildings. He is noted ...

, etc. On July 29, 1942, ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

was performed on the estate. The directors were Jean Walls and

Boris Kochno Boris Evgenievich Kochno or Kokhno (russian: Бори́с Евге́ньевич Кохно́; 3 January 1904 – 8 December 1990) was a Russian poet, dancer and librettist. Early life Kochno was born in Moscow, Russia, on 3 January 1904. His ...

, the costume designer was

Christian Bérard Christian Bérard (20 August 1902 – 11 February 1949), also known as Bebè, was a French artist, fashion illustrator and designer. Bérard and his lover Boris Kochno, who worked for the Ballets Russes and was also co-founder of the Ballets d ...

, the composer was

Jacques Ibert Jacques François Antoine Marie Ibert (15 August 1890 – 5 February 1962) was a French composer of classical music. Having studied music from an early age, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire and won its top prize, the Prix de Rome at his firs ...

and the conductor was

Manuel Rosenthal Manuel Rosenthal (18 June 1904 – 5 June 2003) was a French composer and conducting, conductor who held leading positions with musical organizations in France and America. He was friends with many contemporary composers, and despite a considerabl ...

. Ninety percent of the orchestra were Jewish. The performance was covered by ''

Le Figaro ''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French Newspaper of recor ...

''. In 1948, she helped establish the

, an annual opera festival in

, by covering the entire costs. She hired

Hans Rosbaud Hans Rosbaud (22 July 1895 – 29 December 1962) was an Austrian conductor, particularly associated with the music of the twentieth century. Biography Rosbaud was born in Graz. As children, he and his brother Paul Rosbaud performed with their ...

as well as a German orchestra, even though it was only three years after the war. She also hired the pianists Clara Haskil and

Jean Doyen Jean Doyen (8 March 1907 – 21 April 1982) was a French classical pianist, pedagogue and composer. Biography Born in Paris, Doyen graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris as pianist in 1922. He began learning the instrument with Sophie Chéné ...

, the soprano

Maria Stader Maria Stader (November 5, 1911 – April 27, 1999) was a Hungarian-born Swiss lyric soprano, known particularly for her Mozart interpretations. Biography Stader was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary, on November 5, 1911, as Maria Molnár. During ...

, and the

Quartetto Italiano The Quartetto Italiano ( en, Italian Quartet) was a string quartet founded in Reggio Emilia in 1945. They made their debut in 1945 in Carpi when all four players were still in their early 20s. They were originally named Nuovo Quartetto Italiano ...

. However, by 1949, she stopped serving on the Board of Trustees of the festival, due to disagreements with the President of the festival,

Gabriel Dussurget Gabriel Dussurget (1 January 1904 – 28 July 1996) was a French impresario and opera director. He was the co-founder of the Aix-en-Provence Festival, an annual summer opera festival in Aix-en-Provence, and served as its Artistic Director from 194 ...

, who wanted the festival to become more professional. She donated a parcel of land next to her Château Pastré to

Emmaüs Emmaus (; Greek: Ἐμμαούς, ''Emmaous''; la, Emmaus; , ''Emmaom''; ar, عمواس, ''ʻImwas'') is a town mentioned in the Gospel of Luke of the New Testament. Luke reports that Jesus appeared, after his death and resurrection, befo ...

, a Catholic organization for the homeless.

Personal life

In 1918, she married Count

Jean Pastré Count Jean André Hubert Pastré (2 December 1888 – 29 June 1960) was a French polo player. He played polo at the 1924 Summer Olympics. Early life Jean Pastré was born in 1888. He was the son of Count Ange André Pastré (1856-1926) and ...

, an aristocrat and polo player who went on to play

polo at the 1924 Summer Olympics A polo tournament was contested at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. The competition ran from 28 June to 12 July at the Château de Bagatelle and the Saint-Cloud Racecourse, with five teams competing. Argentina won the gold medal, beating al ...

. She received the title "Countess" via her marriage. They had three children: Nadia, Nicole and Pierre. They resided in Paris and summered at the Château Pastré in

. They divorced in 1940, and she was given the château, keeping her aristocratic title.

Death

She died in 1974.

Legacy

After her death, her son Pierre resided in the Château Pastré. He later donated it to the City of Marseille, where it became home to the Musée de la Faïence de Marseille. Her daughter Nicole married

Joachim, 7th Prince Murat Joachim Napoléon Murat, 7th Prince Murat (16 January 1920 – 20 July 1944) was a French soldier and Head of the Bonaparte-Murat noble family, descended from Joachim Murat, 1st Prince Murat and Caroline Bonaparte, sister of Napoleon. He was k ...

and became known as Princess Murat.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pastre, Lily 1891 births 1974 deaths People from Marseille People from Aix-en-Provence Philanthropists from Paris 20th-century philanthropists