Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The former College of Doctrinaires, located in Brive-la-Gaillarde, was built between 1659 and 1671 to house a communal college founded thanks to the legacy of Antoine de Lestang, president of the Toulouse parliament. This notable offered its location and funds to build a large settlement near the Ursulines convent. The first construction campaign was completed in 1659 and was engraved on a lintel and once present on the pediment of the Saint John Chapel. The latter, equipped with furniture carved by Jean Mouret in 1662, runs along the south wing of the building.

The original U-shaped plan, centered on a court of honor, was completed in the 18th century by a symmetrical north wing, reproducing the 17th century style. The ensemble, built in Grammont sandstone, incorporates limestone elements (gate of the chapel, capitals). A monumental arch staircase and a clock tower with a dome connect the wings. In 1751, Abbé Dubois acquired the adjacent Hotel de Cosnac to house residents, before its partial destruction during the piercing of rue Marie-et-Pierre-Curie in the 20th century.

After the Revolution, the college became communal until 1947, undergoing restorations in the 19th and 20th centuries. The chapel lost its bedside before 1930, and the back façade, bordering the new street, became the main entrance with a masonry porch. Partially classified in 1926 and 1943, the building has been home since 1974 to Brive City Hall, after a major restoration.

The establishment initially had five courses (honor, gymnastics, large, small, kitchens) and two subsequent structural stairs added. The facades, roofs, and monumental stairway are protected under the Historic Monuments. Grammont sandstone, a dominant material, contrasts with limestone columns adorning the street, reflecting the classical architecture of the era.

The college was founded to educate the young boys of Brive and the surrounding area, entrusted in 1619 to the brothers of the Christian Doctrine. Antoine de Lestang, a key figure, also contributed to the installation of Ursulines in the city. The Massénat plan (mid-18th) revealed a courtyard then opened to the north and a corner building destroyed, probably the former hotel of Cosnac, bought in 1751 to expand the premises.

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