Hôtel de Ville, Saintes
| Hôtel de Ville | |
|---|---|
 The main frontage of the Hôtel de Ville in September 2007 | |
Interactive map of the Hôtel de Ville area | |
General information | |
| Type | City hall |
Architectural style | Neoclassical style |
| Location | Saintes, France |
| Coordinates | 45°44′39″N 0°38′00″W / 45.7441°N 0.6333°W |
Completed | 1874 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Charles Brouty |
The Hôtel de Ville (French pronunciation: [otɛl də vil], City Hall) is a municipal building in Saintes, Charente-Maritime, in western France, standing on Square André-Maudet.
History
The first meeting place of the aldermen of the town was the Maison de l'Échevinage (Aldermen's House) on the west side Rue Alsace-Lorraine dating from the 16th century. The building was built round a courtyard and incorporated a medieval clock tower with a lantern which was installed in 1587. After the building was no longer required for municipal purposes, it was converted for use as the Musée de l'Échevinage (Museum of the Aldermen). It accumulated a collection of porcelain from Sèvres and paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries.[1][2][3]
In 1832, after the Maison de l'Échevinage became dilapidated, the town council decided to move their offices some 300 metres (980 ft) south, to the former deanery of the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre. The deanery was on the west side of what is now Rue Georges Clemenceau, facing the cathedral. However, the building, its library and the municipal archives were devastated by a fire which broke out in 1871.[4][5]
The town council decided to commission a new building on the same site. The new building was a typical hôtel particulier with a grand gate, a grand courtyard and two ornate façades. It was designed by Charles Brouty in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1874.[6]
The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of five bays, at the back of the courtyard, flanked by two wings which were projected forward. There was a loggia on the ground floor and five large casement windows with balustrades on the first floor. The central bay featured a full-height portico formed by a pair of banded columns on the ground floor, and a pair of Ionic order columns on the first floor, supporting a pediment which was surmounted by a coat of arms and topped by a small lantern with a stone dome.[7]
When German troops occupied the town in June 1944, during the Second World War, the town hall, along with the sub-prefecture and the post office were the first buildings to be taken over by the German authorities.[8] This situation continued until the town was liberated by the RAC Brigade, part of the French Resistance, in September 1944.[9][10][11]
References
- ↑ "Musée de l'Échevinage de Saintes". Alienor.org, Conseil des musées. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ↑ "The Aldermanic Museum, museum of Fine Arts". Grand Sud. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ↑ Base Mérimée: PA00105256, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- ↑ "Un monument méconnu: la colonne de la Liberté à Saintes" (PDF). MédiaCtions. p. 1. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ↑ "L'histoire de la Médiathèque". Saintes Médiathèques. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ↑ Even, Pascal (2019). "Le rôle des sociétés de publication de documents dans la transmission des savoirs: l'exemple de la Société des archives historiques de la Saintonge et de l'Aunis". Éditions du Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques.
- ↑ Le Patrimoine des communes de la Charente-Maritime. Flohic éditions. 2002. p. 1029.
- ↑ "Saintes: Albert Chauvain, artisan, raconte le quotidien bouleversé sous l'Occupation". Sud Ouest. 25 December 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ↑ "Brigade Rac: Libération de Saintes le 4 septembre 1944". Résistance Sud-Ouest. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ↑ "Saintes: il y a 77 ans, une libération dans le sang". Sud Ouest. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ↑ "Histoire: la libération de Saintes le 4 septembre 1944". Ici. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2026.