the park was created in the 17th century by a french ship owner and merchant, joseph borely, who bought land for a country house, the château borély, in the area of marseille called bonneveine. the estate was enlarged in the 18th century by joseph borély, who constructed a bastide, or provençal country house, on the domaine. when louis-joseph borély inherited the domaine in 1770, he commissioned the landscape architect embry to create a garden à la française.