DOMAINE DE LA SYLVIANE | VALBONNE
I.
WHERE HISTORY BREATHES
LE MANOIR ·
T he story of La Sylviane begins in the XII ᵗʰ century, when the monks of the Order of Saint-Honorat founded the monastery of Valbonne. The monastery that still stands on the estate was completed in 1679 and served as the agricultural arm of the village, supplying milk, meat, wine and olive oil to the monks and extending over a hundred hectares of land. An underground tunnel linked it to the village monastery; it can still be seen today. In the early XIX ᵗʰ century, the property was granted to one of Napoleon's generals as a reward for his services in battle. It owes its present name to a later owner, who chose it after his daughter Sylvie; her sister Louise giving her name to the neighbouring estate, La Louisianne. D uring the Second World War, La Sylviane sheltered prisoners of war escaping the German occupation. This clandestine chapter was related to the present family by Camille Rayon, leader of the Resistance in the south of France. After the war, the estate passed to the Comte du Boisrouvray, cousin of Prince Rainier of Monaco. his mother, the Comtesse de Polignac, — of a family renowned for its cognac and close to the Grimaldi dynasty, resided at the estate. I n 1973, La Sylviane was acquired by the present family, who have cared for it ever since. Its century-old olive trees still produce an award-winning oil — up to 700 litres a year — perpetuating, eight centuries on, the agricultural vocation of the monks who first shaped these lands.
L'histoire de La Sylviane commence au XII ᵉ siècle, lorsque les moines de l'Ordre de Saint- Honorat fondent le monastère de Valbonne. Achevée en 1679, la bâtisse devient le bras agricole du village — reliée au monastère par un tunnel souterrain dont le tracé subsiste aujourd'hui. Au début du XIX ᵉ siècle, la propriété est offerte à l'un des généraux de Napoléon, et prend son nom en hommage à Sylvie, fille d'un propriétaire ultérieur. Durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, La Sylviane abrite des prisonniers évadés — un chapitre clandestin transmis à la famille actuelle par Camille Rayon, chef de la Résistance dans le sud de la France. Après- guerre, le domaine revient au Comte du Boisrouvray, cousin du Prince Rainier de Monaco. En 1973, il est acquis par la famille actuelle, qui en prend soin depuis. Ses oliviers centenaires produisent aujourd'hui encore une huile primée, perpétuant huit siècles plus tard la vocation agricole de ses fondateurs.
Powered by FlippingBook