Situated in the commune of Lacoste, this castle dates back to the 11th century, but was largely modified afterwards.
It remained the property of the Simiane family for a long time.
Two hypotheses clash as to the passage from the Simiane family to the family of the Divine Marquis de Sade.
- In 1627, Diane Simiane married Jean-Baptiste de Sade, ancestor of the Marquis de Sade, who then became the owner of the estate.
- In 1716, Isabelle Simiane bequeathed the castle to her cousin Gaspard-François de Sade, Lord of Saumane and Mazan.
The latter remains the most plausible hypothesis.
The Marquis de Sade stayed there from 1769 to 1772, between the scandal of Arcueil and that of Marseille, then after the latter and his escape to Italy, took refuge there until his incarceration in the dungeon of Vincennes in 1777.
Escaped at the time of his transfer to Aix, he took refuge there one last time from July 16 to September 7, 1778 before being taken back to Vincennes.
It was in 1772 that he made his longest stay here, during which he built in his castle a theater that could accommodate 120 spectators at each performance.
In 1952, André Bouer, professor of colleges, became the owner and then devoted himself to its restoration.
In 2001, Pierre Cardin bought the Château, which is currently being renovated.
Every year, in the summer, he organises the Lacoste Festival, an artistic festival in the quarries west of the castle.
To visit : Part of the apartments of the Marquis de Sade which are a delight to discover furniture from Pierre Cardin's private collection acquired during his many travels (India, China, Italy...) and works of contemporary art selected by the Famous Couturier.
From the castle you can enjoy superb views from the terraces over the Calavon valley, the Monts de Vaucluse with the Mont Ventoux and the Alps in the background, but also over the village of Bonnieux which can be seen on a nearby hill.
The Divine Marquis had described his castle in "La Marquise de Ganges" and in "Les cent vingt jours de Sodome".
Pierre Cardin owns another astonishing property, the Palais Bulles in the Alpes-Maritimes.
Chemin du Château
84480 Lacoste
http://luberon.fr/communes/
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