Château History

The Château de La Napoule has a long and storied history. While the site was first discovered by the Romans over 2,000 years ago, during the medieval era, the Villaneuve family erected a fortress on the site, which itself was destroyed and rebuilt several times.

 

For Henry and Marie Clews, it was love at first sight when they discovered the Château de La Napoule in 1918. They had stumbled on a “slumbering” Château–the Saracen remains had been converted from a military fortress into a seaside villa. The stunning views of the Mediterranean and the mysterious atmosphere of the place made up for its failings (which included a bedroom decorated with pink wallpaper, pink carpet, and pink furniture, monstrous chimneys, and a lone palm tree trapped in the courtyard). The Clews had found the perfect project on which to focus their creative energies.

What began as a minimal plan to make the place more comfortable quickly became a large-scale project. The couple became transfixed by the magic of the old walls, and as Marie described it, they let a “creative spirit loose in La Napoule.” Together they spent 17 years transforming this building into an artistic retreat. Marie worked as the architect and landscape designer–adding a turreted gate house, tall ramparts, seaside terraces, and acres of gardens. Henry continued his sculpture and adorned each capital, crevice, and column with mythical creatures.

The eccentric couple lived in a virtual dream at La Napoule. Henry preferred to be called Mancha, fancying himself a modern-day Don Quixote. Henry and Marie often dressed in costume. The Clews lived lavishly, hosting elaborate parties for European aristocrats and American expatriates. Yet they were also active in community affairs, opening the doors of the Château to the townsfolk for performances, celebrations, and mass in their courtyard.

The Clews lived happily at La Napoule together until Henry’s untimely death in 1937. In 1951, in honor of her husband’s memory, Marie founded La Napoule Art Foundation, opening up the couple’s beloved retreat to artists and art lovers for generations to come. Today, LNAF continues Henry and Marie’s dream by inviting artists to discover for themselves the “creative spirit” that’s still alive at La Napoule.