Castra Sarcyra

Castra Sarcyra ( Caphiric Latin: Sarcyram de vară), also called the Sarcyra Villa or Château Sarcyre, is a palatial villa located in Sarcyre, Montverde, in Aciria. Built in 1609, it served as one of the summer residences of the Imperator of Caphiria during the Third Imperium, overlooking the Natiserve Bay. After the independence of Aciria in 1615, Castra Sarcyra became the property of the state and was used by various members of the aristocracy. Following a major fire in 1818 - which gutted one-third of the interior - the palace was extensively restored, and is currently an imperial residence of the Emperor of Aciria.

Today, the Sarcyra Villa is composed of four primary sections - the palace itself (sometimes called the House), the Sarcyric Winery Vineyards, the Consévolle chapel, and the Larà Gardens and Farmyard.

Construction
In 1602, Imperator Cydaria was inspired by his tour of the southern provinces and wanted to construct a summer royal palace; the island of Montereziaș (present-day Montverde) was determined to be the optimal location as it sat in the center of the Natiserve Bay and a massive earthquake that happened decades earlier had turned the island into a town of ruin. The earthquake proved to be a catalyst, because the urban rebuilding process stimulated the development of the arts in the region. The subsequent architecture of Castra Sarcyra - and on the island - was influenced by new ideas and concepts. When work commenced in 1603, the design was adapted for fear of another earthquake. Thus the later works take the form of low, long buildings, more structurally stable than a single high block: as a result, viewed from a distance the palace resembles long enfilades linked by higher pavilions rather than one single construction.

Palace
The overall layout of the palace is a rectangle divided into two hollow squares, which create a number of wings and two courtyards interlinked by massive arches at ground level. The front courtyard is open on the fourth side, providing views of the main façade, while the rear courtyard is closed, creating a central axis of perspective through the massive arches at ground level that pierces the entire building, cutting it in two and forming a harmonious perspective in the classical style. There are approximately 26 rooms, from the Throne Room and the adjoining Music Room to the Ball Room and Hall of Ambassadors.

The main floor is reached by double staircases which are repeated on the side elevations of the two courtyards, two on the west side and one on the east side, which accentuate the symmetry of the complex.

On the first floor in the center of the building, between the courtyards and with façades overlooking both, the Great Wall defines the meeting line of the two squares comprising the plan. The Great Wall provides access northwards to the Library and the wing housing the bedrooms, and south to the Brick Room and the wing accommodating the reception rooms. The two wings are interconnected at their east end by a wing of bedrooms which gives access to the Consévolle Chapel. The front of the Chapel is parallel to the main façade of the palace and leads back to the rear façade, creating space for the open court with its cross which separates the palace from the winery and vineyards. Both were subsequently extended to the west and east (in 1854 and 1856 respectively) to align them with the front and rear façades of the House. Several other buildings make up the rest of the complex, of which the most important are the so-called ‘Barrão’ (barn and toolstore) and the ‘Eira’ (threshing shed) to the south of the House, next to the fountain that for many years provided the water supply to the House.

Local artisans were employed to decorate the rooms, many of which are small, their walls and ceilings painted to depict allegorical and historical scenes. Polished red bricks were frequently used for the floors, for a rustic appearance as well as coolness in hot weather. The many tall pavilions which link the various lower wings of the palace allow for a series of long low rooms broken by higher and lighter rooms. A predominant feature of the interiors is the : polychrome glazed tiles, often in a style with tones of blues and yellows contrasting with muted reds. However, many of the palace's rooms were severely damaged by the fire of 1818, and much was lost.

The Great Wall, in the manner of heraldic halls typical of noble houses of the 17th and 18th centuries, used to display on its chestnut ceiling Imperator Cydaria, however this was painted over with an image of Emperor Montefeltro. In the North Wing, adjoining the Great Wall, is the Library, which houses in addition to a remarkable collection of early books, documents, proofs, plates and other items of Aciriani importance from the 16th and 17th century. At the west end of same wing, Emperor Giuliano I created four bedrooms that could be reached by a corridor from the Library. Later, his son Lorenzo remodelled this wing to make it more comfortable and convenient. The final bedroom off this corridor retains its original ceiling.

Amongst the furniture in these bedrooms is a bed from the period of Emperor Enrico with a moulded and carved bed head crowned by a plume of feathers. In the style that gained wide acceptance at the time, the first bedroom contains a bed in the neoclassical taste, with austere lines and the sobriety of decoration that replaced the curves and carved decoration of earlier artistic movements.These rooms still retain their original fitted wardrobes in situ, among them one in lignum vitae with a front decorated with barley-twist mouldings. The choice of paintings decorating the bedrooms follows the fashion of the time for pictures with religious themes.

Brick Room
The Brick Room, to the south of the Great Wall, is dominated by portraits of the House of Montefeltro and an allegorical series of the four seasons painted by an artist of the Archimboldesque school of the 17th century. A description of the Brick Room from 1799 records a richly furnished, comfortable room decorated with a set of hangings depicting Biblical scenes of David, Nabuchodonosor and Paradise, and with yellow and gold damask drapes with silk fringes framing the five doorways. The room also contained a sideboard covered by a cloth in the same material. Currently, the room houses a matching set of cabinets made from Cartadanian mahogany, rosewood and lignum vitae, showing the features of the so-called “Romance style” characterised by barly-twist decoration and bulbous turning with exaggerated narrowings.

Music Room
The Music Room is decorated with gilded and painted wood and was redesigned in 1768. The ceiling inset with painted cartouches is notable for the intricate ribbed scheme of its design, similar to that of the vestibule at Castra Ostarca. The Music Room is decorated in a more neoclassical style than the other state rooms, reflecting its redesign in the period following the Baroque Rococo in the final half of the 18th century. This room was the setting for the large concerts for which the palace was famous. The room still contains the Empire grand piano decorated with gilt appliques. Above the piano hangs a portrait of famed pianist Barthélemy Desmarais. Like many other rooms of the palace, the Music Room is lit by huge crystal chandeliers.

Hall of Ambassadors
The Hall of Ambassadors, sometimes called the throne room or the Hall of Mirrors, was designed by Émilien Bonnet in 1757 and is one of the largest reception rooms in the palace. This long low room has a ceiling painted by Porthos Robineau which depicts the Aciriani royal family attending a concert during the reign of Giuliano I. The room is extremely wide and light, spanning the full width of the palace, with tall windows on both sides. Between each window is a semi-circular gilt console table above which are pier glasses adorned with crystal sconces. The throne dais, set in an apse, is flanked by gilded and mirrored columns, and the floor is a chequer board pattern of black and white marble tiles.

Revoci wing
The southern wing of the palace is called the Revoci wing, which illustrates better than any other the excesses of Baroque and Rococo architecture. Completed in 1779, it has a doric colonnade which runs the entire length of its western and southern façades, the roof of which provides a balustraded balcony accessible from the floor above. Owing to the topography of the site, the eastern side appears as a single-storey building, with only the upper floor visible above the ground in the "Hanging Gardens". The balustrade on the roof of the Revoci wing is broken by heavy segmental pediments adorned with reclining statuary figures; the balustrade itself is also adorned with flambeaux, statuary and heavy armorial trophies. The Revoci wing contains an entrance to the palace reached by flights of ingeniously designed graduated steps. Their design creates an illusion of a longer and higher perspective, centred on a corner of a terrace because of exigencies of the site, and divided mid-flight so as not to lead the eye and footstep towards an angle of the colonnade beyond. The steps are adorned with elaborate statuary. The bays of the façade are stuccoed rose-pink, contrasting with the motifs and pilasters in natural stone.

Consévolle Chapel
The Consévolle Chapel was the first part of the palace to be completed and was consecrated as early as 1606 by Imperator Cydaria. Cydaria and his wife Velpharia Arceneaux were fervent Catholics and the couple attended mass several times a day when they lived at Castra Sarcyra.

The chapel is nestled under a large dark and cavernous onion dome and decorated with carved giltwood. The chapel itself consists of a single nave, an octagonal shape, and a choir. Access to the chapel and the upper stalls was made via a staircase leading out of the Lantern Room. Here, from behind a trellis, the imperial/royal family is able to attend religious services without being visible to other members of the congregation. The upper level has galleries for the use of royal personages who would sit apart from the congregation. One of these galleries contains a small pipe organ. A feature of the chapel is the ornate portable font, its marble basin resting in an elaborate Rococo frame surmounted by a carved wood cover.

Larà Gardens and Farmyard
When Castra Sarcyra was first built at the beginning of the 17th century, Imperator Cydaria had ambitious plans for sprawling gardens and a self-sustaining farm but due to the Great Schism of 1615 and the independence of Aciria, he was forced to quickly leave the region and abandon his plans. During the 19th century, a major restoration of the entire grounds was done and the gardens and farm were finally completed.

Today, the Larà Gardens and Farmyard covers an area of around 3 hectares including a terrace that leads out into the large gardens; it is designed in a romantic style with an artificial lake, several springs, and fountains, grottoes, and is surrounded by lush greenery with rare species. The farmyard has a renewable energy system and is entirely self-sufficient, using 3 different sources in the Farmyard: wind power – with an air generator; hydro power – with a hydro-turbine; solar power – with a set of photovoltaic panels, finally achieving Cydaria's goals.

The accompanying farmhouse is furnished with equipment for educational activities and kitchen workshops. There are orchard and vegetable patches, which are of wild plants and berries, as well as cereals and aromatic plants in the farmyard. The plantation area is surrounded by the fields of horses, donkeys and sheep, besides a rabbit hutch, and a poultry coop. There is also a picnic area, an open-air amphitheater, and a barn.

The Larà Gardens - named after socialite Anne-Sophie Larà Descombes - features a large  in the rear of the villa. The dominant feature of the parterre is the "parum equorum in terra", a garden temple flanked by two allegorical equestrian statues depicting, and two sphinxes surreally dressed in 18th-century costume, combining the formal and the fantastic. This surreal theme continues elsewhere in the gardens where such motifs as the and the death of  alternate with statuary of donkeys dressed in human clothing. Deeper in the gardens is a grotto complete with a cascade. An avenue of huge magnolias forms the approach to the southern wing of the palace, while from the wing a double staircase leads to the canal. More than 100 metres (330 ft) long, the walls of the canal are decorated with tiled panels depicting seascapes and associated scenes. This is the largest of a series of canals in the gardens bordered with chinoiserie-style azulejo tiles.

The gardens also contain a fountain with tritons and dolphins and further fountains and statuary can be found in the lower gardens, including an important collection of statues by Aciriani sculptor Jean-Baptiste Delsarte. These lower gardens are set within tall hedges of yew and cypress, and magnolia and mulberry trees. The main garden is full of plants organized according to geographical areas: there are naturally grown regional strawberry and holly bushes, cork oaks; araucaria and palm trees; and agaves and yuccas from Vallos. There are camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons, bamboos as well representing Alshar.