“A place particularly difficult to access.” That’s supposedly how Allée de la Sauvagère got its intriguing name. We’re standing on Allée de la Sauvagère in Marseille’s 10th arrondissement. It’s a place with a fascinating past.
Once upon a time in the early 19th century, Saint-Tronc was far from Marseille’s center. The area was mainly farmland. Getting to the Saint-Tronc hills meant navigating narrow winding roads. These roads were not easy to travel on.
The Castinel family, grain merchants from Canebière, recognized the value of Saint-Tronc’s land. Louis Philippe Alphonse Castinel bought a large piece of land. This vast property covered eleven hectares. It stretched all the way to Saint Loup. It included the old Canto-Perdrix area. The largest part of this huge estate became known as La Sauvagère.
The name La Sauvagère was chosen because the location was hard to reach. Louis Philippe Alphonse Castinel sold his land to Pierre François Jacques Aîné in 1837. Jacques Aîné was a merchant from Rue Dragon. He built the bastide or country house, as we know it today, in 1858.
Henry Luppi described it as a beautiful brick building. It had two stories over a ground floor. It was built in the Louis XIII style. The facade was 14 meters long. It opened onto a beautiful double staircase.
Later, Pierre François Jacques’ widow left the bastide to her daughter. Her daughter was married to Charles Gavotty. Gavotty was a judge and director at the Saint-Louis refineries. Their son Alfred Gavotty, a doctor of law, lived there with his wife during the early 20th century.
In the 1950s, the bastide became a medical clinic called Résidence du Parc. The medical activity grew. It expanded beyond the bastide into a large part of the park. Until 2004 or 2005, much of the original 19th-century park was still visible. Sadly nothing remains of it today. However some photos remain. They show a completely vanished past.
Today Allée de la Sauvagère is known for its accessibility. The La Sauvagère bus stop is only a 3-minute walk away. Lines 15, 15S, 17, and 518 serve the stop. The Sainte-Marguerite Dromel metro station is a 7-minute walk away. The Carrefour Market Romain Rolland is conveniently located a 5-minute walk from here.
Allée de la Sauvagère offers a glimpse into Marseille’s past. It reminds us of a time when vast estates and elegant country houses dotted the landscape. It is now a place where history and modern life intertwine.