A square tower 25 meters high. That’s the first thing you see at Château Maraljehan. It proudly presents its facade to the sea. This isn’t just any chateau. It’s a bastide a testament to a family’s ambition and a bygone era.
Château Maraljehan isn’t just a building. It’s a story etched in stone and whispered through the wind. It all started with Mouttet a man who owned land in Montredon. He wanted to expand his holdings. He wanted to provide handsomely for his three daughters. Between 1872 and 1879 he bought four neighboring properties. These included cultivated land meadows orchards and gardens. Various buildings were also part of the purchase. These were houses stables sheds and barns. The total area was 112 hectares.
Mouttet razed most of the old buildings. Only one a chalet remained. He then commissioned the Marseillais architect Pignon. He wanted a neoclassical folly. Its eclectic style is evident both in its architecture and interior decoration. He created a vast 100-hectare park. The park was divided into areas for exploration and strolling. Each area had a descriptive name. There was ‘the pine forest’ ‘the large meadow’ ‘the English river’ and caves. The Sacred Heart cave featured a statue of Christ. Cascading water animated the cave. The Virgin Mary’s cave was more discreet.
The bastide had a chapel. This was for family ceremonies. Relics of Saint Ruffine are said to be there. Impressive hydraulic works used water from the Canal de Marseille. These created a river fed ponds with natural banks and irrigated the meadows. The original bastide land is now divided by Boulevard Mireille Jourdan-Barry. The bastide is now within the Les Antilles condominium.
According to the grandson of a family employee Hervé Avignon the Germans occupied the site after the fall of the free zone. They mined the countryside. An anti-tank wall separated the countryside from Avenue de la Pointe Rouge. In 1945 German prisoners demolished much of the estate. This was except the part his father André Avignon jumped off of. André was Alfred Avignon’s son. Alfred was a chauffeur. This was in April 1945 André was 16. The estate included a tennis court a garden near the entrance and a pond. There were also large garages. A caretaker couple lived on the property in a small house near the gate.
The name Maraljehan comes from the first names Marie Alban and Jean Martin. These were descendants of J-A-C Mouttet born at the end of the 19th century. Château Maraljehan stands as a silent sentinel. It is a reminder of a family’s legacy a turbulent history and the enduring beauty of the Marseille landscape. Take a moment to imagine the lives lived within these walls. Marvel at the history before you. It’s a journey through time a testament to the enduring spirit of this remarkable place.