Villa Francesca

Villa Francesca was an 19th-century property in Vianne-Lesgordes, Cettatie. It was owned by the Royal Family of Brunant from 1849-1974, when it was demolished, making it a royal residence.

History
The villa was built in the early 1820s for a Cetatian businessman and his family. He sold the property to King Cristian I in 1849, who allowed regular romantic meetings between his son, Crown Prince Johan, and the French-born countess Charlotte de Loménie. He forbade a morganatic marriage between the couple, but Charlotte was able to live at the villa, known as Villa Charlotte then, with two servants. Queen Maria Francesca was against their relationship and kept Charlotte out of Brunant.

In 1851, however, the relationship broke off and Charlotte was forced to leave the villa. She moved to Paris and the house was quickly renamed Villa Francesca. It became a royal summer residence and after her husband's death in 1859, Maria Francesca spent much time in Cettatie, using the villa as her retreat. In 1864, the queen permanently moved to Corfu in Greece since her health deteriorated.

After the queen moved out, her son (and Johan's younger brother) Ferdinand moved in. Following his morganatic marriage in 1856, he lost his royal titles and became known as the "Count of Belmont". He lived at Villa Francesca from 1864-1866, when he died. His wife, Andrea Schlesinger, and their six children were allowed to live on the property until 1904, when Andrea died.

With construction of the Caroline Palace north of Koningstad completed in 1903, both the Royal Family and the government wanted to sell the Cettatie property, which was privately owned by the Royal Family, who, from then on, rented the building to the government. It became the private residence of the Brunanter consul in 1906, but eventually in 1921, the consulate itself moved to the villa.

In 1974, the Royal Family sold the property to the Cetatian government. The building was demolished and two years later, the Stadu du Roi football stadium opened. The Brunanter consulate moved to 10 Rue Gamble in Quartier Marenco.

The property also included a chapel, which was built in 1861 by Queen Maria Francesca and rebuilt in the Princess Vittoria Park north of the stadium in 1975. There is a plaque that reminds of its royal history and the Brunanter-Cetatian relations. The chapel remained a property of the Royal Family until 2019, when it was sold to the Cetatian government.