Imagine Aimé Olivier de Sanderval a man of Lyon marrying Rose Pastré. That union forever changed the name of this estate. Let’s explore the story of Château de Sanderval.
This estate gained its name on May 1 1866. Rose Pastré born in Marseille married Aimé Olivier de Sanderval. He hailed from a prominent Lyon family. Aimé developed a childhood fascination with tales of René Caillié’s travels to Timbuktu.
Aimé graduated from the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in 1864. His uncle Théodore Olivier helped found it. After his studies his family entrusted him with creating a factory in Marennes. He also became mayor of that town. Aimé also participated in the war of 1870.
Aimé invented the suspended hub wheel the spoke wheel. He founded France’s first velocipede factory. This was the Compagnie Parisienne des Vélopcèdes. He was the first in France to equip postal workers with bicycles.
Aimé was friends with Marseille industrialist Jules Charles-Roux. He left his wife and children. He embarked on an expedition to discover the land of the Peuls. He was among the first Europeans to visit the court of the Almamy. The Almamy ruled the Fouta-Djalon. This was the theocratic Peul kingdom in modern Guinea.
Between 1880 and 1919 Aimé made five trips to Fouta-Djalon. He described the splendor of Peul civilization in his travel journals. French newspapers later published these journals. His motto was “know them rather than fight them.”
Unlike later colonizers Aimé sought dialogue with the Peul elite. They granted him the title of “king.” They authorized him to mint coins with his image. They ceded land on the Kahel plateau for him to develop. He dreamed of building a railway through Peul country. He understood the ambivalence of English and French colonization.
Faidherbe and De Lesseps supported his African projects. Olivier de Sanderval founded Conakry. His “case” is still visible there. It gives its name to the current Sandervalia district. In 1881 the King of Portugal granted him the title of Viscount of Sanderval. His descendants adopted this name. He died here at Château de Sanderval in 1919.
The Pastré estate includes two other residences. These are Château Estrangin and Château Pastré. Today Château de Sanderval houses an institution for children with difficulties. It is now the ITEP Sanderval.
The institution supports children and adolescents aged 4 to 18. They have psychological difficulties manifesting as behavioral disorders. The goal is to support their school and social inclusion. ITEP SESSAD Sanderval operates in five districts of Marseille. It offers tailored and local responses to the children and their families.
Two units are dedicated to children aged 4 to 11. Unit 1 serves families in the 8th 9th and part of the 10th arrondissements. It has 33 SESSAD places and 6 semi-boarding places. Unit 2 serves families in the 6th 7th and 8th arrondissements. It also has 33 SESSAD places and 6 semi-boarding places.
A service dedicated to 11 to 18 year olds operates across all five districts. It has 33 SESSAD places. ITEP SESSAD also has therapeutic accommodation. This is a boarding facility with 7 places plus 2 temporary places. It can accommodate children and adolescents from all three units. This complements SESSAD and semi-boarding support.
So Château de Sanderval is more than just a building. It is a place of history. It is a place of compassion. It is a place of hope for many young people.