Château de La Colle Noire

Château de La Colle Noire
View of the South Façade in 2016
General information
Location	Montauroux, Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Country	France
Coordinates	43°35′51″N 6°47′17″E / 43.59750°N 6.78806°E / 43.59750; 6.78806
Construction started	mid-19th century
Completed	20th century
Owner	Parfums Christian Dior
Design and construction
Architect	Andreï Svetchine
Website
www.dior.com/home/en_gb

The Château de La Colle Noire is a property located at the entrance of the Pays of Fayence, on the border of the Maritimes-Alpes and the Var region. It is built on a promontory overlooking the plains of Montauroux. The chateau is surrounded by a park with a chapel dedicated to St Anne. The ensemble dates from the middle of the 19th century and was entirely redesigned by Christian Dior from 1950. It has been the property of Parfums Christian Dior since 2013.

From the 15th century to the beginning of the 19th century, the site was described in various ways: La Colle Narbonne, La Colle, La Colle Noire, La Colle dwelling etc. However, it was from 1826 that the domain finally took shape, when Henri-Emmanuel Poulle (1792–1877), lawyer, first president of the Court of Aix-en-Provence and deputy of the Var region, from an old family of Montauroux, became owner of the "domain of La Colle" and took the neighbouring hamlet's name to become the "domain de La Colle Noire".

In 1839 Henri-Emmanuel Poulle created a staging post on the estate which later on would serve as the base for the future chateau. Over time, through various acquisitions, the estate reached an area of more than 100 hectares, becoming a vast agricultural operation, composed mainly of plowing fields, pastures, vines and muriers. In 1858, at the age of 66, Henri-Emmanuel Poulle decided to build a residence for his retirement. The construction lasted three years, from 1858 to 1861. The facade with its two emblematic towers that dominate the valley, dates from that time. It was also during this period that H-E. Poulle had a chapel dedicated to St Anne, in reference to his daughter Anne-Victoire. Henri-Emmanuel Poulle also had a chapel dedicated to Saint Barthélémy in the village of Montauroux near the parish church. Due to the loss of its land title, it could not be sold as a national asset under the French Revolution and was thus protected from vandalism during the 1870 revolution. It passed into the heritage of H-E. Poulle and was transmitted to Christian Dior who offered it to the commune of Montauroux in 1953. The chapel was built in 1634 by the White Penitents, and still has today the wooden painted decor which adorns the walls as well as the vault.

Upon the death of Henri-Emmanuel Poulle in 1877, the property passed on to his daughter, Anne-Victoire (1827–1894), married to Félix Reibaud, postmaster of the sector. Anne-Victoire was very pious and obtained permission from the Bishop of Frejus to allow the priest of Montauroux to say mass in the chapel St Anne every Sunday except for Christmas, Easter and other festivals. The inhabitants of the neighborhood became accustomed to hearing Mass at La Colle Noire. The St Anne chapel is still consecrated today. On the death of Anne-Victoire in 1894, his son Paul Félix Honoré Reibaud inherited the estate of La Colle Noire. Head of office at the Ministry of Justice in Paris, he showed little interest in the property located in the remote Var region where his family originated. The property was ceded to an industrialist named Fayolle, whose widow resold the estate in 1921 to Pierre Grosselin. On October 25, 1950, the property, with an area of 50 hectares, comprising a noble house, agricultural buildings and land cultivated mainly in vines and flowers, was bought by Christian Dior.