History of the Château

“The Galice estate was previously known by the name of LOINVILLE, as shown on a map by Cassini and on an 18th Century plan.”

The château takes its current name from the house of Galice. Messire Joseph François de Galice, Seigneur of Bedejun, King’s Adviser and doyen of the Parlement of Aix-en-Provence, appears to have ordered the construction of the house in around 1740. The family coat of arms appears on the West front, under the motto Spero Lucem. A sundial on the South front gives a date of 1741.

The Galice family were succeeded by the Berages, a merchant family from Aix. On October 26th, 1888, Alban Gavoty bought the property from a Mr D’Anselme, who had inherited the property from Canon Berage. Since that time, the property has remained in the same family, passing to Maurice Gavoty, his daughter Nicole Rouliot, her son Georges Rouliot and, finally, his children, Sylvie Rogier and Frédéric Rouliot, the fifth generation of the family to own the château.

The park featured as the setting for Emile Zola’s novel “La Faute de l’Abbé Mouret”.

“The château was built around 1740.”

A number of significant changes were made during the 19th Century, including the addition of supports to the 1st floor terrace, as well as dormer windows on the pediment. The roof itself was remodelled following a hipped (four-slope) design and using glazed Burgundy tiles.
The terrace plays host to a chapel and to a dovecote, which features a pointed roof with glazed tiles.
The château and the terrace annexes cover around 750 m2.