Château des Avenières (France) and its Tarot chapel

[Diana]

In France, near the Swiss border, is the Avenières Castle. In it is a chapel, called the Blue Chapel, that is decorated with huge tarot cards.

It's got a very interesting history.

http://www.thethinkersgarden.com/2015/0 ... avenieres/ (hehe - they call Oswald Wirth, Oswald "Firth"!)

and some more photos : http://hermetism.free.fr/Avenieres/aven ... #Une_photo

And also the website of the "castle". The page called "Mary and Assan" is worth reading.
http://www.chateau-des-avenieres.com/en ... ieres-1154

I only learned of the existence of this "castle" a few months ago, although it's only an hour's drive from where I live. I've often driven through Cruseilles, not knowing that I was passing by such an intriguing edifice.

It's a hotel now. If they'd let me sleep in the chapel I'd go and stay a night. But of course they wouldn't. So I won't. But maybe a visit would be nice.

[Joan Marie]

The giant tarot cards are mosaics!

I had a look on the map to see how far this is from Ascona. Not so far really. Ascona is the site of Monte Verità, which was the home of a Utopian community that has an origin story similar to Avenières Castle and around the same time. It was also the site of several OTO gatherings in the very early 20th century.

What a strange time and place Switzerland was in the early 20th century. People (usually very rich) were looking for beautiful settings to start new ways of life free from the dehumanising effects of modernity. And they opened their doors to the like-minded and curious.

Amongst the many interesting people at Monte Verità were many famous ones, including Carl Jung, Herman Hesse, isodora Duncan, Mary Wigman, Rudolf Steiner. And funnily enough, Gustav Nagel whose image I used on the Hermit card in the Cult of Weimar Tarot deck. (Gustav was a sometimes Berliner who sought a more austere existence.)

I wonder if there was any direct connection, or cultural cross-pollination between these communities in Cruseilles and Ascona.

[Diana]

Thanks Joan Marie for bringing up Monte Verita. I would question though whether the Cruseilles people and the Ascona were close. I seems to me that they were not quite on the same paths. I think also I would have found some kind of mention of some link, however tenuous, while I was reading up on all the websites about the Château. I also read some French ones.

Aren't those mosaics just wonderful ? And that's funny to see your mate Gustav Nagel turn up unexpectedly while discussing a castle in France !!

[reall]

Woah! luv colors on that fool card! definitly my to visit list if I ever travel that place!