Villa Kerylos

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Discover this French Riviera seaside Palazzo, luxurious re-creation of an Ancient Greek Villa. At the edge of the sea, facing the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula, the Villa is a magic place that takes you back in time. Entirely furnished and decorated, the Villa’s many rooms bear witness to the art of living and refinement of Ancient Greece. The Villa is also a place for wedding and receptions organization.

A luxurious Grecian dwelling

On the shores of the Mediterranean, between Nice and Monaco, the Grecian Villa Kerylos is one of the most extraordinary sites on the French Riviera. It was built in the early 1900s, in the period the French call the “Belle Epoque”, and is a quite unique and extremely luxurious re-creation of an ancient Grecian dwelling, complete with wall decorations and furniture. It stands as the tribute to Greek civilisation of two great enthusiasts for Ancient Greece : Theodore Reinach, an archaeologist and patron of the arts, and Emmanuel Pontremoli, an inspired architect.

Based on the design of noble houses built in the 2nd century B.C. on the Island of Delos, the Villa Kerylos invites visitors to step right back into Ancient Greece. Everything inside, from the arrangement of rooms to the stylistic details of the décor, was designed to recreate the atmosphere of a luxurious Grecian villa.

A somptuous landscape

From the garden around the villa there are fine views of the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula, dotted with magnificent mansions. The garden contains a pleasing mixture of typically Greek plants : olive trees and vines, pomegranate and carob trees, acanthus and myrtle, oleanders and irises, pine and cypress trees, palm trees and papyrus all help create a Grecian look and feel in the lovely Mediterranean sunshine. The commentary on your headphones will help you to picture life in an ancient Grecian palace and the daily routine of the ancient Greeks. The tour of the villa includes every room, from the large reception rooms to the smallest and most private places

Life in ancient times

In keeping with many Mediterranean houses, the Villa Kerylos is built around a “peristyle”, a vast central courtyard surrounded by twelve monolithic columns in white Carrera marble. It was here that the owner, Theodore Reinach, loved to take a walk. Library, banqueting hall, balaneion and bird room…

The library occupies one and a half storeys and faces the East for maximum morning light when reading. Its shelves hold many reference works on classical art. The room also contains many works of art and objects that were used in the daily lives of ancient Greeks. In the banqueting hall, called the “triklinos”, there are three couches the same height as the low tables. Guests would lie on these to eat, just as in ancient Greek times. The “balaneion”, a private bathroom only found in luxury houses in ancient Greece, is in Carrera tiger marble. It was customary for ancient Greeks to relax in such rooms before their evening meal. Theodore Reinach’s richly decorated bedroom is called “Erotès”, dedicated to Eros the God of love. The walls are in red ochre, a characteristically Grecian colour. On the floor is a large mosaic depicting Dionysus on a trireme, surrounded by dolphins. “Ornitès” or the “bird room” was the name given to Madame Reinach’s bedroom, where blue is the dominant colour. Theodore Reinach had his wife’s room decorated with the symbols of the goddess Hera, the peacock and the swan.

Richly decorated

• The elegant furniture

The villa is completely furnished and, down to the tiniest detail, its décor is based on that of ancient Grecian palaces.
The elegant furniture with its pure lines is one of the most remarkable aspects of the Villa. Each piece is an exact copy of a Grecian original and was crafted using traditional methods. Chests, desks, plaited leather stools, tripod tables, wood and bronze beds, etc. – all are made from precious exotic woods, such as rosewood, Australian plum, angelica, American walnut, Ceylon lemon … and inlaid with ivory or coral.

• Scenes from Greek mythology

In every room there are frescoes and mosaics inspired by ancient documents, depicting scenes from Greek mythology. Visitors can see the death of Talos after winning the Golden Fleece, the return of Hephaestus to Olympia and the main events in the legend of Pelops and the life of Apollo.

• Xaipe (« Enjoy yourself»)

Some of the rarest materials in the world were used : delicate stucco, veined marble in varying shades of mauve and grey from Carrera and Sienna, opal and alabaster. All of these details reveal the spirit of this extraordinary place, a spirit which can be summed up by the Greek word “Xaipe”, meaning “enjoy yourself” – something which every guest of the Villa Kerylos was sure to do

• "The Galerie des Antiques"

Located at sea level, the “galerie des Antiques” is a collection of life-size casts of the finest classical Grecian statues, such as the famous Belvedere Apollo, the Venus de Milo and the Discobolus, the originals of which are in Rome, Florence, Naples and the Louvre museum.
Visitors can see statues of the ancient gods and goddesses who played such an important part in Greek civilisation : Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, Apollo and Ares.

HISTORY

The dream of great enthusiasts for ancient Greece

• Architect Emmanuel Pontremoli

A Greek loverThéodore Reinach (1860-1928) was the youngest of three very talented brothers born into a family of bankers, originally from Frankfurt. Important personalities in the Third Republic, the Reinach brothers were known as the “Know-it-alls” because of their extraordinary learning. The eldest, Joseph, was a deputy (member of the French parliament) and worked with Gambetta. Salomon was a member of the Institut de France and had a distinguished career as curator of the “Musée national des Antiquités”. As for Theodore, he gained a double doctoral degree (in law and arts) at a very young age, before concentrating on ancient Greek history. He was an archaeologist, papyrologist, numismatist and musicologist, a member of the “Académie des Inscriptions et des Belles Lettres”, as well as being deputy for the Savoie department. It was his great love of all things Greek that gave rise to the building of the Grecian villa at Beaulieu-sur-Mer, not far from Rothschild’s famous Villa Ephrussi. Madame Reinach was in fact a cousin of baron Maurice Ephrussi.

• Kerylos: " kingfisher"

Theodore Reinach entrusted his project to Emmanuel Pontremoli (1865-1956). This architect and archaeologist, winner of the “Grand prix de Rome” and an elected member of the “Académie des Beaux Arts”, shared Reinach’s passion for ancient Greece. He fell in love with the idea and spent 6 years, from 1902 to 1908, creating the Villa Kerylos. The Greek word “Kerylos” means Halcyon or kingfisher which in Greek mythology was thought to be a bird of good omen.

A unique re-creation

• Palace in the Riviera – Antiquity and modernity

Far from being a mere copy of the noble houses on the island of Delos, the Villa Kerylos is rather a reinvention of ancient Greece. The two men did not want to build a simple pastiche of an ancient Grecian villa but rather to create an original building “along Grecian lines”. Emmanuel Pontremoli ingeniously contrived to incorporate the modern conveniences of Belle Epoque villas into the luxury setting of a classical Grecian villa. For example, the pool in the “Balneion” was filled with water using taps hidden under round grilles and the astonishing folding piano, designed by Pleyel, part of which is hidden in a lemon wood chest.

• A living history of the Belle Epoque

The Villa Kerylos is a fantastic place affording visitors a view of living history, not only of ancient Greece but also of the Belle Epoque. A unique tribute to the civilisation of ancient Greece, this villa is nevertheless characteristic of the French Riviera at that time. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Beaulieu-sur-Mer was a fashionable place and much frequented by the elite. Theodore Reinach died in 1928 and the Villa Kerylos was bequeathed to the Institut de France, of which he had been a member. His children and grandchildren continued to live there until 1967 when the Villa became a listed building.

LODGING

See the listing of the Hotels in Beaulieu-sur-Mer

PRACTICAL INFORMATIONS

Villa Kerylos

Impasse Gustave Eiffel
06310 Beaulieu-sur-Mer
Location: 25 mn away from the Rothschild Villa Ephrussi, on the bay of Beaulieu-sur-Mer.

Access: 10 km from Nice on the Basse Corniche (N98)
9 minutes away from Beaulieu railway station.

Parking: Parking spaces at the Town Hall or by the post office.

Opening hours 2008 : From 15 February to 1 November, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

(7 p.m. in July and August)

From 2 November to 14 February ; Weekdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Weekend and school holidays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m

Visiting options:

Self-guided Tour

At no extra charge, all visitors are loaned a set of headphones on which they can listen to an interactive commentary in one of 4 languages (French, English, German, Italian)