Renaissance Man by Malcolm Cossons

Dominating the village of Cornillon 150 metres over the Loire river near Saint-Etienne, the Château de Cornillon is an impressive structure dating from the 11th century. Frédéric Champavère, the current owner of the Château, fell in love with the property during visits to his grandmother, who lived nearby: ' Every Sunday, as a child, I went to mass in the former chapel of the Lords of Cornillon and my dream to one day become one of them started then'.

While commitments to his work in the pharmaceutical industry took Frédéric far from France, he retained his affection for the Château and when he returned home in the mid 1990s he sought a home that would give his children - three boys born in Indianapolis, Miami and Brussels - a sense of their family history and roots. His thoughts inevitably turned to the Château de Cornillon, which had been used as a store for a Parisian antiques dealer for over 20 years.

A few days prior to his 40th birthday, Frédéric Champavère realized his ambition to own the Château; however it was in need of some careful restoration: ' The castle was in poor condition and, in addition to structural work, I decided to rebuild the towers and so recreate a powerful fortress, perched on a rocky outcrop.' A similar goal of restoring the interior of the castle to its former glory prompted Frédéric to seek antiques that expanded not only his collection but also brought the history of the castle back to life: ' Today the building is redolent with history: one can almost hear the noise made by the knights in armour on the staircase; or smell the perfume of La Dame de Cornillon who died in 1340 at the exceptional age of 80.'

The restoration of the Château became all consuming for Frédéric and he approached it from a variety of angles at once, working with his sons to ensure they learnt all aspects of the preservation process, from manual work to the careful selection and acquisition of antiques, which remained in keeping with the nature of the property. A project of this nature is a lasting commitment, as Frédéric jokes ' some of my friends even think that the Château and I are starting to look alike, given how much of myself I have put into the place.'

Although the Château de Cornillon will continue to require attention and support, today, it is saved from ruin and fully restored. While he retains a special affection for the Château Frédéric sees the importance of moving on to a fresh challenge and therefore has undertaken this auction in order to finance his next endeavour: ' I am selling part of my collection in London this autumn in order to embark on another big restoration project in the south of France.' That project is the Château La Verdière, once the fortress of the famous Vintimille and Castellane families and until the mid 1980s, the property of the marquess de Forbin, the Château is also in need of the attention of someone who understands the requirements of restoring an historic building. As Frédéric Champavère says: ' Just like Cornillon I sense La Verdière has another soul to bring back to life.'

Malcolm Cossons is publisher & editor-in-chief of Sotheby's Preview magazine.

Source : www.sothebys.com