Made famous by Napoleon’s visit, the Château de Malijai is a rare and beautiful example of 18th-century seigniorial architecture in the Haute-Provence Geopark.
The château has a rectangular plan with two facades, one on the village side, the other on the garden side. On either side are two round towers topped with glazed tiles. Built in 1770 by Pierre Vincent Noguier, a wealthy bourgeois from Marseille who had bought the seigneury of Malijai a few years earlier, the château welcomed Napoleon on the night of March 4-5, 1815. The deposed emperor was on his way to the capital to regain his power.
The originality of the building certainly lies in the decorations and gypseries that adorn the main entrance hall and reception rooms.
Some of the château’s rooms, decorations and French gardens are listed as Historic Monuments. Today, the first floor houses the town hall, while the upper floors have been converted into living quarters.
