The Dying Castle and the Académie of Fancy

This castle, nestled in the town of Lourmarin, Vaucluse (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur), was transformed during the 15th century by Foulques d'Agoult, a Chamberlain to King Rene I. of Anjou, into the first Renaissance building in Provence. Before the French Revolution, it belonged to various families. After the revolution, the castle was all but abandoned. In 1920, it was purchased by Robert Laurent-Vibert, a cosmetics producer. He entrusted architect Henri Pacon with its restoration, but mysteriously, Laurent-Vibert met an untimely end in a car accident in 1925.

In his last will, he donated the castle to the Academie des Sciences, Agriculture, Arts et Belles Lettres, on the condition that it be turned into a trust for young artists, a curious twist of fate. The castle was also used for exterior shots in Julien Duvivier’s film The End of the Day in 1939, but I haven't found any evidence of that coffee-drinking while exploring its shadowy halls.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons