Saint-Exupéry spent his childhood to some extent in the castle of La Môle in Provence, not far from Saint-Tropez. This castle has belonged since the 18th century to the distinguished noble family Boyer de Fonscolombe, from which the writer’s mother came.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a famous French writer and aviator, was born on June 29, 1900. He was born into an old noble family in Lyon, the second largest city in France. Lyon was for centuries the largest and most important French city after Paris, and existed as far back as Roman times, when it was one of the main centers of Roman Gaul (then called Lugdunum). Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was born in a street named Rue du Peyrat, in the central part of Lyon (this street is located on the peninsula formed by the rivers Rhône and Saône at the point where their flows meet). The former Rue du Peyrat is today named Rue Antoine de Saint-Exupéry after the famous writer, and his birthplace can still be seen there.
Saint-Exupéry spent his childhood to some extent in the castle of La Môle (French: Château de La Môle) in Provence, not far from Saint-Tropez. This castle has belonged since the 18th century to the distinguished noble family Boyer de Fonscolombe, from which the writer’s mother came. The young Antoine also spent a large time in the castle of Saint-Maurice-de-Rémens (French: Château de Saint-Maurice-de-Rémens), which was owned by his aunt. This rather large castle is located between Lyon and Geneva. The author of The Little Prince, therefore, spent his early childhood largely in aristocratic locations, in the castles and palaces of his relatives.
