The History

The village of Seillans was originally a prehistoric site on the edge of a 60 foot cliff, which protected local hunters from the wild boar and wolves in the surrounding forests. Later, before the 4th cent, a Gallo-Roman building stood here called simply “The Fort”. There is still a “rue de Fort”. With the arrival of the Romans, a small town grew up with a hospital for senior Roman officers wounded in the frontier battles of the Empire.

From the 8th century, the Saracens menaced the territory around Seillans and tried to capture the Fort which the villagers used as a refuge. The arrow slits and apertures for pouring boiling oil on the enemy can still be seen in the Winter Salon and the Hallway. The original fortress is the heart of the present Château, which was enlarged in the 12th century. From the 10th century the building grew to the North with a dungeon in the centre and a terrace to the South.

In the 11th and 12th centuries, several houses were built around the Château and a terrace towards the fountain. The church was also built at this time. A secret passage (sealed in 1984) was built in the dungeon of the fortress and led to the sanctuary of the chapel in the valley.

The first Seigneurs of Seillans came from the Abbey of St. Victor in Marseilles. The Seillanese looked for protection from these Seigneurs who included D’Antoine de Venelles, De Blocas d’Aups, De Bouguier, De Collomp-Seillans, De Flotte-Méaulx etc.
During the French Revolution, Seillans was fiercely Republican and removed all power from the “Chatelain”. However, by 1870, the Château was once again occupied by a noble family. The Countess de Savigny built a perfume factory in the hills behind the village to provide employment for the villagers. It is operational to this day and a mass is celebrated in the village church on her birthday. Queen Victoria, A friend of the Countess is said to have been a periodic visitor to the Château.