Joyau bastidaire du XVIIIe siècle à Marseille, la bastide Flotte de la Buzine conserve ses gypseries d'époque, sa façade patricienne et l'âme secrète des maisons des champs provençales.
Nestling in the urban fabric of Marseille, the bastide Flotte de la Buzine is one of the best-preserved examples of the holiday homes that Marseille's merchant bourgeoisie had built in the countryside in the 18th century. Far from the hustle and bustle of the Old Port, these "bastides" - the Provençal term for quality country houses - were both a summer retreat and an ostentatious sign of social success. This one, built in the third quarter of the 18th century, embodies all the refinements of this style. What sets this building apart from the many bastides that have disappeared or been disfigured is the remarkable integrity of its interiors. A sumptuous collection of gypseries dating from the 1760s adorns the former dining room, providing an exceptional example of Provencal decorative art under Louis XV: interlacing plant scrolls, cartouches and moulded frames in white stucco of an almost precious finesse, reminding us of the extent to which Marseilles craftsmen were at that time interacting with Parisian and Italian fashions. The main building, flanked by a wing of outbuildings set back from the courtyard, articulates an architectural programme characteristic of the regional manor house. The main courtyard, once adorned with fountains and statues, structured domestic life and the social representations of the owner family. The pleasure gardens, which are still partially visible despite the passage of time and gradual urbanisation, once overlooked a hilly landscape that is now no more than a memory. Now converted into a school - the Cours Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin - the bastide continues to lead an active life, while preserving the essential features that justified its inclusion on the list of Historic Monuments in 2013. This cohabitation of heritage and contemporary education gives the site a special atmosphere, where 18th-century stuccowork rubs shoulders with the day-to-day life of today's pupils. For heritage lovers, this contrast is itself a source of fascination.
The bastide Flotte de la Buzine is fully in keeping with the tradition of 18th-century country houses in Marseille, characterised by a balance between Provençal sobriety and the influences of French classicism. The mansion features a well-ordered facade, whose symmetrical composition, measured proportions and treatment of the openings reflect the taste of the late Louis XV and early Louis XVI periods. The exterior architecture, which is not overly ostentatious, combines local limestone ashlar, light-coloured rendering and a low-sloped roof covered with canal tiles, a colour palette typical of aristocratic Provencal buildings. The layout features a characteristic interior layout, with the main building flanked by a wing of outbuildings set back from the main building, defining a courtyard of honour that was the heart of the estate. This courtyard, once dotted with fountains and decorative sculptures, articulates the different volumes built according to a coherent layout inherited from the great residences of the region. The estate was served by three entrances in the form of passageways, which bear witness to a well-thought-out overall programme. Inside, the most precious surprise is to be found in the former dining room, which features a collection of exceptionally fine gypseries dating from the 1760s. These moulded stucco decorations - a widespread technique in Provencal and Languedoc interiors in the second half of the 18th century - develop an ornamental repertoire of foliage, floral motifs and cartouches characteristic of the late Rococo style, already heralding the transition to Neoclassicism. The fact that they have been preserved in such a satisfactory state is a rare documentary and artistic resource of the first order for our knowledge of interior decoration in Marseilles during the Age of Enlightenment.
