Lily Pastré

Countess Lily Pastré (a.k.a. Marie-Louise Double de Saint-Lambert) (1891–1974) was a French heiress and patron of the arts. She sheltered many Jewish artists in her Château Pastré in Marseille during World War II. After the war, she helped establish the Aix-en-Provence Festival, an annual opera festival in Aix-en-Provence.

Biography

Early life Marie-Louise Double de Saint-Lambert was born in 1891 at 167 rue Paradis in Marseille. Her father was Paul Double (1868-1935). Her paternal grandparents were Léon Double and Marie Prat (1849-1939), whose father, Claudius Prat (1814-1859), was the co-founder of Noilly Prat. In particular, it was meant to support struggling artists. Moreover, she arranged for the pianist Clara Haskil to receive medical care and then escape to Vevey, in Switzerland. She also hosted the cellist Pablo Casals, the dancer Josephine Baker, Samson François, Darius Milhaud, Georges Auric, André Masson, Paul Valéry, Lanza del Vasto, André Roussin, Victor Brauner, Luc Dietrich, Marcel Brion, Gérard Bauër, Raoul Dufy, etc. On July 29, 1942, A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare was performed on the estate. The directors were Jean Walls and Boris Kochno, the costume designer was Christian Bérard, the composer was Jacques Ibert and the conductor was Manuel Rosenthal. Ninety percent of the orchestra were Jewish. The performance was covered by Le Figaro.

In 1948, she helped establish the Aix-en-Provence Festival, an annual opera festival in Aix-en-Provence, by covering the entire costs. She hired Hans Rosbaud as well as a German orchestra, even though it was only three years after the war. She also hired the pianists Clara Haskil and Jean Doyen, the soprano Maria Stader, and the Quartetto Italiano. However, by 1949, she stopped serving on the Board of Trustees of the festival, due to disagreements with the President of the festival, Gabriel Dussurget, who wanted the festival to become more professional.

She donated a parcel of land next to her Château Pastré to Emmaüs, a Catholic organization for the homeless.

Personal life In 1918, she married Count Jean Pastré, an aristocrat and polo player who went on to play polo at the 1924 Summer Olympics. She received the title "Countess" via her marriage. They had three children: Nadia, Nicole and Pierre. They resided in Paris and summered at the Château Pastré in Marseille. They divorced in 1940, and she was given the château, keeping her aristocratic title.

Death She died in 1974.

Legacy After her death, her son Pierre resided in the Château Pastré. He later donated it to the City of Marseille, where it became home to the Musée de la Faïence de Marseille.

Her daughter Nicole married Joachim, 7th Prince Murat and became known as Princess Murat.