Château des Covet de Marignane

Now the Town Hall, the building has its origins in the 11th century, and was certainly fortified at the end of the 12th or the very beginning of the 13th century Property of the Baux, lords of Marignane until 1422, it passed through the hands of the Valori, Anjou, Cossa and Varey In the 16th century it became the property of the Bourbon family, then after three royal holdings and a return to the crown under François I, that of the Savoie-Tende family, before the Covets arrived in 1603, holding barony, marquisate and castle until the Revolution Of the medieval and renaissance core, the entire western body remains today occupied by the mayor's office, administrative services on the upper floors, and the Albert Reynaud Museum in the lower part (cellar, kitchen, reception room, prison and original entrance courtyard). The south-western corner was devoted to the panellist and the chapel, dedicated to Saint Christopher in the Middle Ages. The north wing was used as a "tinel" or fermenting room, topped by the large stable overlooking the bailey A major renovation, extension and modernization campaign was conducted in the early 1550s by Françoise de Foix, wife of Claude de Savoie-Tende, of which there are unfortunately very few traces In fact, the castle was almost entirely remodeled by the Covets from 1603-1605, around the former farmyard became the court of honor and adopting the perfect shape of the square. To the north rises the "new castle" on the former stable converted into a game room open by large arcades, doubled on the floor according to the Italian scheme of the loggia. This is followed by the beginning of a wing in the Aix-en-Provence style from the 1640s and 1650s, then the sumptuous "new apartments" of Jean-Baptiste II de Covet, fitted out from 1664. They can be found on the first floor of a grand staircase built in Calissanne stone, with an anteroom, a large salon and a bridal room This ensemble is enhanced by a sumptuous southern façade (visible from the Place Charles Peguy) designed by the architect Laurent Vallon and implemented by the masons Jacques David and André Hermitte, probably designed by the painter Jean Daret Inside, one can admire the gypsum fireplaces, accumulating ornaments and emblems in the very elaborate Provencal baroque style The large living room and the bedroom are decorated with "perspectives", or canvases marouflaged under a French ceiling, attributed to the Swiss-born painter Rodolphe Ziegler and his studio in Aix Dedicated to the great battles of Christian history in the reception room, the paintings honour the strong women of Roman history in the second room, drawing on the sources of Madeleine de Scudéry's novels A large classical facade, reminiscent of that of the Farnese Palace, unified all the buildings between 1690 and 1700, turning the castle definitively towards the east and the large park redesigned in the French style (now Parc Camoin and Cours Mirabeau). It is on this side that one can appreciate the last refinements of the Covets, the monumental gate designed around 1750, the small cabinets decorated with delicate gypseries in the Louis XV and Louis XVI style (baths cabinet decorated with a relief of the Bath of Diana discovering the pregnancy of the nymph Callisto, trophies and medallions of the four seasons, boudoir covered with a dome with scales and falls of roses, etc.) The buildings and decorations were classified as a historical monument in 1996, and were completely restored between 1962 and 1988. They can be visited as a real aristocratic hotel with the appearance of an urban palace. The Tourist Office regularly organises guided tours for groups and individuals as part of its Heritage Escales. Source Patrick Varrot, art historian - February 2021