We invite you to discover the estate of Château Calissanne through a one-hour lecture on the history of a former owner, Charles-Auguste Verminck (1827-1911). Passionate, visionary and humanist, he was an important trader in peanuts and oil and is at the origin of the extension of the area of vineyards and olive groves on the Estate. Shipowner and industrialist from Marseille, founder of the Compagnie Française de l'Afrique Occidentale (CFAO), he also organized an expedition to Africa to discover the Sources du Niger, and created a charity in Marseille. He acquired Château Calissanne in 1883, and developed the estate in the image of his entrepreneurial spirit.
We will also present a collection of period objects on C.A. Verminck and on the family of Maurel de Mons de Villeneuve (Aix family owner of Château Calissanne in the 18th-19th centuries).
This will be followed by a visit to the Notre-Dame-de-Calssanne chapel, which will open its doors to the public for the first time. Recently renovated, it was established in the 13th century by the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, in a commandery, and was once known to house clothing relics of the Virgin Mary.
Several sessions will be organized: Saturday 16 September at 14:00, Saturday 16 September at 16:30, Sunday 17 September at 10:30, Sunday 17 September at 15:00.
Speaker: Raymond Lehideux-Vernimmen, advertising and media man, author passionate about Africa