History
I. Saracen Period and Reconquest
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Invasion and Saracen Occupation (719–759)
The region is first invaded and occupied by the Saracens from 719 to 759. -
Reconquest and Liberation of Provence (972–983)
William I of Provence, known as “the Liberator” and Count of Provence from 972 onward, defeats the Saracens in 983, thereby liberating Provence.
II. Original Ownership and Donation to the Saint-Victor Abbey
- Property of Pons III “the Younger” (Juvenis)
Pons III of Arles, Lord of Baux, Trinquetaille, and Berre (938–1028), is the owner of the Artigues lands. Transmission and Donation
The lands are bequeathed to his son, Geoffrey de Fos, Lord of Rians (circa 972–1059), and to his wife Scocie (born Scocie de Riez, circa 960–circa 1060). In 994, they donate these lands to the Saint-Victor Abbey in Marseille. This donation comes as the abbey, emerging from a period of neglect, enters its golden age under Bishop Honorât.
III. Earliest Documentary Evidence and Abandonment
Documentary Evidence
A charter mentions the “Castrum Artyga” as early as 1032.
The church of the castrum is attested from 1093.
Abandonment
Around 1348, during the Black Death—which decimates at least 40% of the valley’s population—the lands and the castrum appear to be abandoned.
IV. The Gautier Family and Its Early Distinctions
Origins and Prestige
The Gautier family, lords of Gardanne, Mazauges (Mazaugues), Siéyes, Valabres, and Saint-Pierre, distinguished themselves through their military exploits, literary achievements, and legal expertise in the highest offices of the judiciary.1372
Jean Gautier (known as Gautier de Valabres) is knighted under Louis I of Anjou, Count of Provence (1339–1384).1391
In May, the funeral cortege carrying the remains of Saint-Honorat passes through the Artigues lands, coming from Arles and heading towards the Lérins Islands (where the relics will be deposited on January 20, 1392), via Saint-Martin de Pallières.Jean Gautier, Captain
Captain of 100 armed men under Louis II, Count of Provence (1387–1417) and son of Marie de Blois, he is ennobled. He sends a dispatch to Charles de Duras, raised as Lord of Saint-Pierre (Rians) and Valabre by Louis II. In reward for his diligence, Charles de Duras makes him a knight of “the Order of the Spur” (Napolitan Order) and incorporates him among the nobles of Provence.
(Note: the dates correspond to the reign of Louis I. )
V. Decline of the Saint-Victor Abbey and Transformation of the Estate
Around 1430
The financial decline of the Saint-Victor Abbey leads to the cession of numerous lands.15th Century
The castle of Rians is either destroyed or abandoned (according to Fabry).1439 – Purchase of the Artigues Lands
Vital de Cabannes (or de Cabannis), a distinguished jurist and professor at the university of law and theology in Aix (founded in 1409 by Louis II with the blessing of Pope Alexander V), purchases the Artigues land for 500 florins from King René (son of Louis II) on behalf of Jean Gautier de Rians, who settles there.The Bastide of Saint-Pierre
According to the archives of the Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Jacques in Rians, “The Bastide of Saint-Pierre” was the first name given to the Artigues castle. This bastide, both a grand residence and a fortified hamlet (according to the Provençal terminology of the time), is later transformed by the Gautier family into a more extensive residence.
VI. Union of Provence with the Kingdom of France and Institutional Beginnings
1482
With the demise of King René in 1480, Provence is permanently united with the Kingdom of France under Louis XI.Around 1500
Jacques Gautier de Rians succeeds his father Jean and receives the Château Saint-Pierre as a fief.1501
The Parliament of Aix-en-Provence is established.
VII. The Rise of the Gautier Line of Artigues
Suffren Gautier (born in Rians in 1520)
After having fought with distinction, he retires from service while retaining the title “Suffren Gautier de Rians, Lord of Saint-Pierre.”On March 16, 1540, he marries Anne de Flotte de Roquevaire, a member of the family of the lords of Roquevaire.
From this union two sons are born:
Honoré Gautier d’Artigues
Pierre de Gautier de Rians (of the Aubagne branch, who will perpetuate the name “Gautier de Rians” by adding the particle “de Senez”). This latter settles in Roquevaire and, by a contract dated April 26, 1596, marries Valentine Olivier. Their children notably include Nicolas Gautier and Joseph Gautier, prior of La Valette and vicar general to three archbishops of Aix, recognized for his merit.
1550 – Birth of Honoré Gautier d’Artigues
In Rians, Honoré Gautier d’Artigues, Lord of Saint-Pierre and Artigues, is born, becoming the first of the line to settle in Aix and Artigues.He becomes the first family member to hold an office at the Parliament of Aix, initially serving as Attorney General (during the court’s interdiction and the period of the league) before being received as a counselor in 1593.
Through his marriage to Louise de Désidéry, further descendants are produced, including:
Antoine Gautier d’Artigues
Honoré Gautier, Prior of Roquefeuil, a man of wit and learning
Françoise Gautier, who marries Gaspard de Boniface-Laidet, Lord of Fonbeton.
Modernization of the Castle around 1570
It is highly likely that Honoré opted for the modernization of the castle, as evidenced notably by the installation of the main staircase and the creation of cross windows. (According to Viollet-le-Duc, “Mullions and transoms persist in the windows of French civil architecture until the beginning of the 17th century.”)
VIII. Architectural Description of the Château d’Artigues
The castle is built on a U-shaped plan, resting on the original residence whose boundaries are defined by enclosing walls.
General Layout
A courtyard located to the south precedes an honor court, forming a rectangular esplanade bordered by three blocks of buildings and enclosed to the south by a defensive wall.
Main Building
Distributed over three levels:Ground Floor: Reception rooms.
First Floor: Main residence served by a wide staircase with a square balustrade (an inspiration for the layout of the Hôtel de Châteaurenard in Aix-en-Provence, 1650).
Second Floor (under the roof): Rooms for children and domestic staff, situated to the north, with a south façade featuring cross windows that provide light and warmth. A small pepper room, equipped with a wooden staircase, is added at the southwest corner to connect the lady’s chamber with the children’s and service rooms.
Wings of the Castle
East Wing (service):
Ground Floor: Common room, kitchens, hayloft.
Upper Floor: Servants’ quarters, hayloft, and attic.
West Wing:
Ground Floor: Stables, barns, and hayloft.
Upper Floor: Haylofts and servants’ quarters.
The outer west walls feature a few ventilation arrow slits.
Connection of the Wings:
The East and West wings, each with a tower at the south, are connected by a central enclosing wall that houses the access door to the honor court.
Two square towers rise at the northwest and northeast corners (the northeast tower will later be integrated into the main building).
Other Annexes
The estate also includes:A chapel dedicated to Saint-Pierre
A dovecote
A threshing area
Various agricultural buildings
A spring that supplies the castle, with the surplus flowing down from the west enclosure into the communal washhouse.
IX. Period of Turmoil and Reorganization (1550–1600)
Foundation of the Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Jacques in Rians (1550)
The foundation mentions Honoré Gautier de Rians and d’Artigues. Honoré, born in 1550, is the first son of the line, followed by Pierre.Beginning of the Wars of Religion (1562)
The Château d’Artigues, loyal to the King of France, remains untroubled during the “Battle of Esparron” (April 15–16, 1591).New Outbreak of the Plague (1580)
An epidemic, lasting about a decade, affects Rians from 1580; houses found to be infested are burned.Relocation of the Parliament (1590)
Counselors loyal to the king are invited to sit in Pertuis, as the Parliament of Aix is temporarily relocated there. Honoré Gautier d’Artigues, appointed counselor in 1593, subsequently sits in Pertuis.Antoine Gautier de Gardane (1595–1669)
Born on February 13, 1595, in Saint-Sauveur (Aix), he is Lord of Saint-Pierre, d’Artigues, Mimét, and Gardanne. Appointed on October 27, 1615, as the King’s State Counselor at the Parliament of Aix-en-Provence and later dean of the counselors at his death, he establishes the current Valabre estate (1632–1663).
Married to Lucrèce de Perrier de Clumans, three sons are born from this union:Julien de Gautier de Gardanne (born November 18, 1620, married to Catherine Chaix, died without issue on June 24, 1668).
Jean-Baptiste de Gautier d’Artigues (1630–1688), of the Artigues branch.
Jean-Augustin de Gautier de Valabre (born in 1635, died on June 30, 1709 at age 74 in Aix, State Counselor at the Court of Accounts, aides and finances), married to Lucrèce d’Espanet and father of Antoine Gautier de Valabre (born in 1662).
End of the Wars of Religion (1598)
Separation of Artigues and Rians (around 1600)
Artigues separates from Rians. In 1607, Honoré Gautier receives, as a sub-fief, the possessions of André d’Oraison, “Baron of Rians and of Artigues” (André d’Oraison, 1545–1607, Marquis d’Oraison, Lord of Boulbon and Soleilhas, Baron of Rians by inheritance from Nicolas de Bolier, Baron of Rians and Lord of Cental), with the authorization “to increase his property.” This transfer reinforces his position and is said to have provoked the hostile reaction of the Peiresc-Fabri, ultimately leading to the definitive separation between Artigues and Rians.
X. The Gautier Branch of la Môle and Valabre (1630–1749)
Birth of Jean-Baptiste Gautier de la Môle (1630)
On September 17, 1630, Jean-Baptiste Gautier de la Môle is born, Lord of Artigues and Saint-Pierre, squire, and Lord of the Morea and Gardanne.He becomes substitute for the prosecutor at the Parliament of Aix in 1653, then Attorney General on November 29, 1655.
On April 29, 1661, he marries in the Sainte-Madeleine church in Aix, Claudine de Boniface de la Môle (1635–1665), daughter of Jacques de Boniface de la Môle and Françoise de Glandeves du Cannet. This marriage produces twin daughters, Gabrielle and Isabeau (1661).
He enters into a second marriage on April 27, 1666, with Diane Sybille de Rascas du Cannet (born in 1646 in Marseille, died in 1699), a union without issue.
He also acquires the Pavillon de Vendôme in Aix.
On August 9, 1684, Jean-Baptiste refers to the will of Honoré Gautier, Prior of Roquefeuil (son of the late Suffren Gautier and Melchionne Degal, “Doctor in Holy Theology”), who died on June 21, 1686. By this will, Honoré Gautier was the principal donor of the Hôtel-Dieu.
Jean-Baptiste Gautier de la Môle dies in 1688 at the Dominican convent in Aix, at the age of 58.
Antoine II Gautier de Valabre
Born in Aix on April 11, 1662, and nephew of Jean-Baptiste (son of Jean-Augustin de Gautier de Valabre), he inherits his father’s office in 1686 and becomes heir to the lands and titles of Saint-Pierre and Artigues from 1688 onward.Intronized as a counselor at the Parliament on October 8, 1689, he marries Anne de Ricard (born in 1670).
Their descendants include:
Jean-Baptiste Augustin Gautier de Valabre, born on March 10, 1699 in Aix, died in Artigues on May 23, 1765 at the age of 66.
Joseph Paul Gautier de Valabres, Knight of Malta, Commander of Cavalet, and Lieutenant General of the Grand Prior of Saint-Gilles (his uncle, Joseph Gautier de Valabre, was knighted in 1642 in the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem).
Ignace Gautier de Valabre, also a Knight of the Order of Malta and commander of one of its vessels.
Other members are mentioned:
A daughter, Marie Marthe Gautier de Valabre, born in Aix in 1700, who died at the age of 86 on February 3, 1786; she was the widow of François de Barrigue (Lord of Fontanieu and counselor at the Parliament) and later remarried Charles Probace de Guerin, Lord of Fuveau, counselor at the Court of Accounts.
Marguerite Marquise Gautier de Valabre, born in Artigues on September 12, 1709, who becomes a nun at the Ursulines of Aix.
Other religious descendants are mentioned (noted “N… de Gautier, nun at the Ursulines of Aix”).
Antoine II regularly resides in his château d’Artigues and dies in his 82nd year on December 30, 1744 at the Dominican convent in Aix.
On March 10, 1699, in Aix—after a harsh winter—Jean-Baptiste Augustin Gautier de Valabre (of the Gardanne–Valabre branch), Lord of Saint-Pierre and Artigues, is born. He becomes a counselor at the Court of Accounts (aides and finances of Provence) and, from 1727, a counselor at the Parliament of Provence. He later attains the status of honorary counselor with an exemption from service.
Married to the noble Marguerite Victoire Jeanne Reine Le Camus de Peypin, their union produces:
Casimir-Antoine Gautier de Valabres (who will become the heir of Antoine II and later bear the name Antoine d’Artigues).
Jeanne de Gautier de Valabres (born in 1720, married to Gaspard de Boniface).
Marie-Marthe de Gautier de Valabre (born in 1740, married in 1769 to Jacques Ambroise d’Augustine de Septème).
Other descendants, including one who becomes a nun at the Ursulines of Aix.
Period of Plague in Marseille (1720–1722)
An epidemic affects Marseille during this period.Cadastre of 1733
The cadastre mentions the Château Saint-Pierre located at the Grand Hubac of Artigues.Acquisition of the Artigues Lands (February 25, 1736)
Jean-Baptiste Augustin Gautier de Valabre acquires the Artigues lands along with all rights, properties, and jurisdictions (high, medium, low, and censive) held by the Simiane (Marquis de Simiane, Rians, and d’Esparron) from Claude Léon François de Simiane de Lacépède, for 16,000 livres.The deed is drawn up before Mr. Penat, a notary in Rians, and then confirmed by a second deed for a capital annuity before Mr. Jean Notaire in Aix on February 28 of the same year.
Monsieur le Comte de Valbelle wished to retain the lands of which he was the owner.
Antoine II dies in Artigues on May 23, 1765 at the age of 66.
The Current Parish Church (1742)
Dedicated to Sainte Foy, it results from the expansion—at the request of the bishop—of the lordly chapel dedicated to Saint-Pierre.Co-lordship of Artigues (1774)
Due to the southern peculiarity of the co-lordship, in 1774 Artigues is still divided between Gautier d’Artigues de la Môle and de Valbelle.Casimir-Antoine Gautier de la Môle (1749 and after)
Born in 1749, he is Lord of Saint-Pierre and Artigues and holds the rank of sous-aide major in the La Marche infantry regiment (a regiment created in 1684 and dissolved in 1762—this rank, equivalent to lieutenant, allowed officers without wealth to avoid the purchase of a company).The Estates General (1787)
In 1787, Casimir-Antoine sits in the Estates General, dividing his residences between Artigues and the Cours (Mirabeau) in Aix, according to the “Inspection of the Housing of the Lords of the Estates of the Province of Provence” dated December 31, 1787.Revolution and Its Consequences (1790–1805)
In 1790, the Parliament of Aix-en-Provence is dissolved.
During the Revolution, Casimir-Antoine Gautier de la Môle manages to escape with the help of a loyal servant and adopts the name Antoine-Casimir Lamollé.
At that time, the south towers, the portal, and the coat of arms are dismantled in accordance with the revolutionary committee’s demands, while Casimir-Antoine endures heavy taxation.
On October 13, 1805, at the age of 56, he attends the wedding of his cousin Louise Justine “Félicité” Gautier in Marseille (J-B François Roux, a merchant in Marseille, and Jean-Antoine Stalla, an armateur, will become partners starting in 1816).
He spends his final days peacefully in his château d’Artigues, and his niece, Mrs. Denans (born Provens), inherits all his property.
Dendrochronology (of oaks and chestnut trees) dates the creation of the landscaped park to between the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century.
XI. The 19th Century and Romantic Reorganizations
1810
Marie Élisabeth Provens marries Louis César Auguste Denans in Artigues.At this time, “romantic” renovations are carried out: the northwest square tower is provided with brick battlements, a new door, and a loophole (marked “DB1837”) replacing the old postern.
Marguerite Gautier de Rians de Senez
A member of the Aubagne branch (descendant of Suffren Gautier), she lives from 1825 to 1905 and represents five generations of matriarchs, being a cousin of Casimir-Antoine.Description of the Castle by Octave Teissier (between 1862 and 1888)
Octave Teissier, historian, archivist, and polygrapher, describes the Château d’Artigues as follows:« Mr. Denans d’Artigues, the current owner of the castle, had the good taste not to let the family memories of the ancient lords fade. Thus, one is pleasantly surprised, after traveling twenty kilometers through endless wooded mountains, to find in this ancient manor, seemingly dilapidated, not only all the resources and comfort of our time but also these beautiful rooms adorned with silk hangings, these works of art and priceless paintings—testimonies of the great luxury of the past century. Among the charming pieces collected by the gentlemen of la Môle, we mention two small unsigned canvases, seemingly belonging to the finest Flemish masters and depicting interior scenes with admirable detail. One cannot help but admire them, glimpsed behind the large windows opening onto the park. The portrait gallery also deserves a visit: the gentlemen of Gautier de Valabres and la Môle occupy a place of honor alongside Louis XIV, Marie-Thérèse, and two splendid ladies evoking Maintenon and Montespan. The majesty and beauty of the queen contrast with the fresh, smiling radiance of one of the ladies, lending a special luster to this solemn gathering of magistrates, Knights of Malta, abbesses, and monks. The judiciary is omnipresent in this gallery. It is appropriate first to mention Mr. Honoré de Gautier, Lord of Saint-Pierre, one of the most distinguished jurists of the 16th century, who served as Attorney General at the Parliament of Aix during the troubles of the league before being received as a counselor in 1593. His son, Antoine de Gautier, Lord of Mimet, Gardanne, and Saint-Pierre, was appointed counselor in 1615, and his three sons—Julien (Lord of Gardanne, received as counselor in 1615), Jean-Baptiste (Lord of la Môle, appointed Attorney General in 1655), and Jean-Augustin (Lord of Valabre, received as counselor at the Court of Accounts in 1669)—continued this tradition. The son of the counselor at the Court of Accounts, Mr. Antoine de Gautier, Lord of Valabre, was appointed counselor to the Parliament in 1689, and his son, Jean-Baptiste-Augustin de Gautier, Lord of la Môle, d’Artigues, and Saint-Pierre, received the title of counselor in 1727. The arms of the lords of Artigues and la Môle are as follows: azure with two intertwined spurs adorned with gold buttons, with a silver chief charged with three gules stars. »
1883
Hippolyte Jean-Baptiste Denans-d’Artigues is appointed mayor of Artigues.
XII. From the Beginning of the 20th Century to Modern Renovations
1900 – Modernization Works
Georges de Sinety (Castellan of Esparron, 1851–1930), the first owner not related by blood to the Gautier family, undertakes significant renovations:The main building is fitted with the modern comforts of the time (a dining room with a pantry and a view over the plain to the west, a kitchen converted into a common room, and toilet and bathroom facilities for the master bedrooms).
Some openings are modified, and cypress trees are planted in the garden.
The first photographs of the castle date from this period.
1966 – Renovations and Reconstruction of the Estate
Louis “Ludo” Pector purchases the estate and reconstitutes the land holdings, which then amount to 150 hectares.
A long period of modernization (spanning three decades) follows:East Wing: Elevation of the hayloft, creation of additional rooms, and the addition of windows on the east façade and that of the honor court.
West Wing: Rehabilitation of the building, removal of the stables and haylofts, and the creation of six rooms on the upper floor with new windows on the façade of the honor court and on the west façade.
Central Building: The fireplace is removed and replaced by a modern kitchen.
XIII. Contemporary Period
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2020 – Acquisition by the Stalla Family
Ludovic « Ludo » Jean-Edouard Stalla and his wife Claudine acquire the Château d’Artigues.
