LACOSTE

The village of Lacoste is superbly located atop a hill, adjacent to limestone quarries, from which the village was built. 16th century homes and gardens line cobblestone paths and lead up to the château at the peak. This castle was occupied in the 18th century by the notorious Marquis de Sade, the depraved man who gave birth to the word “sadistic.” There, he committed salacious acts for years, while also bouncing in and out of various prisons and insane asylums. During and after that period, he wrote several highly obscene and disturbing manuscripts, plays and novels.

The château was much destroyed during the French Revolution, after which it sat empty and in ruins for a couple of centuries. In 2001, the château was purchased by Pierre Cardin, the renowned French couturier. He restored a portion of the castle and spent summers there, where he hosted the Festival de Lacoste, a series of concerts and operas in the courtyard as well at the quarry that came with the purchase of the castle. Upon his death in 2020, he bequeathed the castle to the Institut de France. It is open to visitors in the summer months.

Savannah College of the Art Design (SCAD) established a campus in Lacoste in 2002. The school occupies several of the buildings here for its study abroad students and its events, including workshops, exhibitions and a film festival in July. SCAD has notably renovated many of the village buildings and is recognized by UNESCO for its work in heritage conservation.