HEARTBREAK WITHIN
A PARIS MANSION
G'day folks,
This story is quite sad, but similar to many families in Europe.
Museums are usually a feast for
the eyes, but rarely are they a treat for the heart. Cozied up beside
Paris’ Parc Monceau you’ll find just that: the opulent Musée
Nissim de Camondo, a perfectly preserved mansion from 1911 that belonged
to the affluent Camondo family. As stunning as the interiors and antiques are,
it’s the heartbreaking story of the family that stays with you long after you’ve
left their time capsule home.
The Camondo family came from a long line of Sephardic Jews
that had fled the Iberian Peninsula in the Spanish Inquisition, finding refuge
in the Ottoman Empire, and ultimately founding one of its largest banks. They
helped modernise Istanbul with state-of-the-art urban development plans, and
the creation of a new school.
Fast forward to the mid 1800s, when Moïse or “Moses”
Camondo is at his peak as one of the greatest bankers and philanthropists of
the era. He comes to Paris’ swanky 8th arrondissement to set up house where
many other affluent Jewish families live. By the end of the Second Empire, the
house at 63 rue Monceau became the hub for many members of the family,
notably Moïse’s beloved children Nissim and Béatrice.
The interiors were loosely modeled after Marie Antoinette’s
Petit Trianon, and
with over 20 rooms and three floors to fill with antiques, the Camondo’s wasted
no time in furnishing their personal palace.
The Camondo family’s
taste in art and antiques was so fine tuned, that they actually ended up
donating many of their works to the Louvre in their lifetime. The house
became the crown jewel of the rue
Monceau, and the perfect setting for the Camondos to entertain
some of the world’s most important business men and intellectuals.
As a prominent Jewish family, the dining room became the
heart of the household. It was where the Camondos broke bread with their
closest friends and family, and where they gathered for Shabat every Friday.
The estate continued to flourish, with the good times ever
rolling and the antiques ever-changing. But then the war came. And as you
wander from floor to floor, you’ll notice an abundance of photos of the dashing
Nassim dotted on the walls, which brings us to the family’s heartbreaking turn
of events.
Prior to the
outbreak of WWI, Nissim was expected to take over to fill his father’s business
shoes as his only son. But at the on-set of the war, he decided to serve in the
army to defend France. He became a decorated pilot, fighting at both Verdun and
in the battle of the Somme.
Finally, in 1917, he was shot down mid-air, and his death
shook the family to its core. The once lively Camondo household became quiet,
and his father retreated from Paris’ social scene.
Upon his own death in 1935, Moïse bequeathed the estate
to the city of Paris to serve as a museum in his son’s honour, but under one
condition: that the objects from their old life together remain precisely where
he had left them. Béatrice became the last bearer of the prestigious Camondo
name, but married and converted to Catholicism during the German occupation to
protect herself. Despite her efforts, she and her family were abducted during
the SS roundups, and died in Auschwitz in 1945.
“Over the years, the priceless splendour of the collection
has increased,” explained a museum representative, “This place is pervaded by
Nissim’s memory. By creating the “Nissim de Camondo museum” and devoting his
mansion and collection to the memory of his son, Moïse found a way of resisting
oblivion."
That’s why, in a city where breathtaking museums are a dime a
dozen, Musée Nissim de
Camondo, stands out from the pack. Walking its halls reminds you
that this was once a home,
and one steeped in stories of love, beauty, war, and tragedy. Stories, in other
words, that are worth retelling.
Clancy's comment: Extraordinary mansion but a sad story, and not uncommon for many families who fell into the hands of the Nazis.
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