A Temple in Uzes
As an archaeologist, my job is digging up old things. While I knew this structure was not ancient, still, I was intrigued: Who built it? When? And why? So I did a little more digging: but this time not into the soil.
Turns out that this little temple, along with an archway and triple-columned monument, dates to 1816 and marks the entrance to a graveyard. The surrounding land, originally a fortress in the 13th century, was acquired by Baron Gabriel Joseph de Froment in the late 18th century. Having traveled throughout Italy, the Baron developed a love of antiquity, and transformed the estate into a Neoclassical wonderland, adding so many towers, balustrades and colonnades that the property became known as the chateau of a thousand columns.
The Baron managed to evade the terrors of the French Revolution, and over time continued to construct mini temples, fountains, columns and other monuments across the five acre property. The family remained in the castle until 1927, and the property lay abandoned for decades.
In the 1950s, the chateau was purchased by Douglas Cooper, a British art historian. Known as a "monuments man," Cooper lived in the castle through the following decades, and hosted many of the celebrated artists of the times, including the guitarist Manitas de Plata, and painters Ferdinand Leger, Georges Braque, Jean Cocteau, and most notably: Pablo Picasso. While on a visit to Spain, Cooper had admired Picasso's drawings, and when the painter came to visit in 1962 he reportedly commanded Picasso to "give me a wall!" The murals, five in all, were sandblasted directly into the stone.
Recent owners commissioned interior designer Dick Dumas to decorate the interior of the enormous 6000 square foot building, which includes two kitchens, multiples living spaces, bedrooms and baths.
Many of the "folies," as the Baron's 25 neoclassical buildings were called, did not survive the decades, but those remaining still dot the vast property set into the rolling French countryside. The structures located near the road at the roundabout heading into Uzes have recently been under renovation, including the Princess of Rohan's tomb, the memorial to his son Edouard, who died at the age of 19 in the Battle of Essling, and the tomb of the Baron himself.
The project was begun in 2023 and is funded by multiple sources, including the regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs, the Pays d'Uzes Community of Communes, the State and the Regional and Departmental Councils. The l'Uzege association also organized fundraising, making it possible to hire a heritage architect to conduct a study of the monuments for the restoration project. The buildings sit on clay soil, so they were carefully dissembled and a concrete slab was placed below to ensure overall stability. Once this was done, the buildings were reassembled in situ.
While many of the remaining folies lie on private property, the cemetery and its monuments are on municipal land. The project is set for completion in 2026, and there are plans for a "discovery trail" between Uzes and the town of Argilliers. Benches made of Vers stone are to be installed along the route with QR codes that will allow visitors to learn the history of the Chateau of Castille.
A French blogger found these old postcards of the chateau and its environs:
Maquettes show that the Baron built not only miniature versions of temples, but of the Tower of Pisa.
The chateau has been on the market in recent years: expect to part with north of ten million euros for the privilege of living in such sumptuous surroundings and the ability to stroll through the countless porticos, towers, temples and colonnades.
And of course there are the Picasso murals to gaze at: they alone are worth more than the property itself.
Uzes is constantly revealing its beauty with each visit, and there are always more secrets and delights to discover in this magical place. Who knew that one of them was a castle, built by a Baron whose life's goal was to transplant a bit of the ancient world to the countryside of the Gard. While only a few of his "folies" remain, it's reassuring to know that a precious handful are being lovingly restored and will be accessible for the public to admire.
Photos: the author, Alex Waugh, Sotheby's, Le Republicain
