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Be blown away!Beautiful mansions

Explore the soapmakers’ district


Villas & Châteaux in the soapmakers’ district

The economy boomed after the Franco-Prussian War. When the train station was built, the olive oil and soap trade flourished and Salon-de-Provence became wealthy.

Rich merchants built amazing villas around Salon and founded new districts lined with wide avenues mainly in the south and west of town.

The soapmakers' district

Soapmakers' architectural heritage
Few exemples of Manors

Hôtel Ravoire

(boulevard de la République)

Salon industrialist Pascal Anthime Ravoire built Villa la Colombe or Hôtel Ravoire in 1880. It had a large courtyard at the front and sprawling grounds which were replaced by an annex building built by a bank. (Private manor, no entry)

Palais de Justice

(boulevard de la République)

The current court of justice is also known as Villa Armieux and was built in 1903 in the Louanes district by Edmond Marius Armieux. He had a concert room built for his singer wife who performed concerts that the “whole of Salon” was invited to. The château was sold in 1939, occupied during the war and Salon Council bought it in 1951 to make it a commercial court.

(Private manor, no entry)

Hôtel Roche

(boulevard Nostradamus)

The merchant Pascal Boy built it in 1902 before a a cooking oil industrialist, Edouard Roche, bought it in 1930 along with the factory next to the château to extend the property. (Private manor, no entry)

Hôtel Couderc

(Clinique Vignoli, avenue Paul Bourret)

Fernand Couderc was a wealthy merchant from Marseille in the late 19th century who joined forces with Chaffard to found the Chaffard & Couderc factory making superior quality olive oil, soap and cooking oil.

It was one of the biggest companies in Salon. Marius Fabre bought it in 1925 whilst the 1900 château and grounds were sold to Doctor Vignoli to open his clinic in 1927.

(Private manor, no entry)

Wonders at every street corner

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