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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The city hall of Aniane, built in the late eighteenth century, embodies a civil architecture adapted to its urban environment. Its construction was decided in 1780 by the consuls of the city to replace a space deemed unsuitable. The architect Charles Durand, assisted by Sir Henry, designed plans for a building combining a covered hall on the ground floor and a consular room on the first floor. The paneled façade, a central element of the project, was designed to fit between two oblique streets, with a basket handle arch giving access to the covered market.

The architectural composition highlights a central forebody topped by a balcony supported by four twin consoles. On the first floor, the axial window is framed with a triangular pediment, while the side windows, integrated in rounded corners, are decorated with carved garlands. In 1781, the consuls observed the smallness of their meeting room and decided to expand it, which eventually occupied most of the first floor. The lateral facades, pierced by arches in the middle of the hanger, complete this collection, classified as Monument Historique in 1951, for its facades and roofs.

The original plans, dated 1780 and signed by Charles Durand, reveal a desire to create a functional and aesthetic public space. The covered market, located below the hall, played a central economic role for the community, while the consular hall symbolized local power. The building, owned by the commune, illustrates the evolution of municipal needs on the eve of the French Revolution, combining practical utility and representation of civic power.

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