Castle Devachan

Castle Devachan (Italian: Castello Devachan) is a historic villa situated in Sanremo, Italy.

Castle Devachan
Castello Devachan (Italian)
Castle Devachan in Sanremo
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General information
Location	Sanremo, Italy
Coordinates	43°48′57″N 7°45′39″E

History

The villa, designed by Pietro Agosti in 1905, was built in 1909. The property originally belonged to John Horace Savile, 5th Earl of Mexborough.^[1] He had spent several years in Asia and had grown closer to Buddhism. For this reason, at the death of his second wife Sylvia, whom the villa was originally named after, the villa was renamed into Castle Devachan.^[2] Within Buddhist theosophy, Devachan refers to the temporary, intermediate state of being before the soul's eventual rebirth into the physical world.^[3]

In 1920, the villa hosted the famous San Remo Conference.^[1][4][5]

During the Second World War, the villa became the operational base for the SS in Sanremo, and was the location of the murder of fourteen Italian partisans.^[4]

Description

The building features an eclectic style.