Who built the château Grimaldi?

Cardinal Girolamo Grimaldi, archbishop of Puyricard, and later Jérôme de Grimaldi had the residence built in the 17th century on the model of the Palazzo Farnese.

Why was the château Grimaldi destroyed?

The building, completed in 1678, was blown up with gunpowder in 1709 because its thick walls resisted ordinary demolition.

Does the château Grimaldi still look like a palace?

No, the current, more modest structure resembles a large Provençal farmhouse rather than an episcopal palace.

What remains of the original building?

The early Romanesque chapel has survived, while the famous 365-window façade of the 17th-century palace is gone.

Château Grimaldi (Puyricard)

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château d'Arnajon (Arnajon Castle)Accommodation on site9 km

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At Puyricard, on the edge of Aix-en-Provence, the château Grimaldi stands on the site of a former seigneurial residence that later belonged to the local archbishops. Cardinal Girolamo Grimaldi and later Jérôme de Grimaldi had a large residence built here in the 17th century, modelled on the Palazzo Farnese, before the building was blown up with gunpowder in 1709. What remains today, rebuilt within the old walls, resembles a large farmhouse more than a château in the strict sense, with its seven-bay façade and shallow-pitched tiled roof.

Written from Château Grimaldi (Puyricard)

What to know

The château is located at Puyricard, a hamlet near Aix-en-Provence.
The current building bears no trace of the monumental 17th-century façade, which was destroyed in 1709.
Its exterior, with a shallow-pitched tiled roof, looks more like a large Provençal farmhouse than a château.
The original Romanesque chapel remains part of the site.

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Frequently asked

Who built the château Grimaldi?: Cardinal Girolamo Grimaldi, archbishop of Puyricard, and later Jérôme de Grimaldi had the residence built in the 17th century on the model of the Palazzo Farnese.
Why was the château Grimaldi destroyed?: The building, completed in 1678, was blown up with gunpowder in 1709 because its thick walls resisted ordinary demolition.
Does the château Grimaldi still look like a palace?: No, the current, more modest structure resembles a large Provençal farmhouse rather than an episcopal palace.
What remains of the original building?: The early Romanesque chapel has survived, while the famous 365-window façade of the 17th-century palace is gone.

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Sources

Identity, location and official references from Wikidata and the Mérimée register.

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