Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Café de la Paix originated in a hospital founded in 1709 by Anne Forestier to treat poor women in La Rochelle. In 1712, the buildings were rebuilt according to the plans of military engineer Claude Masse, with the support of Bishop Stephen of Champfour. The establishment, confirmed by letters patent in 1723, became a place for the sick, the education of girls and free education. After the Revolution, the buildings were sold and transformed: the chapel became a theatre, and a part was converted into a military Café in the early 19th century.

In 1852, the coffee was completely rebuilt and took the name Café de la Paix after work conducted around 1900 by Mr. Carache. The room, decorated with Empire woodwork, mouldings and chiseled chandeliers, embodies the Belle Époque style. In 1931, painter A. Terral restored his decor, preserved until today. In the 20th century, a cinema, the Olympia, was associated with coffee. The café hall was listed as a historic monument in 1984, while the façade and the old cinema hall were listed in 2022.

The history of the place reflects the urban transformations of La Rochelle, moving from an 18th-century charitable establishment to a place of sociability and culture. Its architecture and decor testify to artistic evolutions between the 19th and 20th centuries, while preserving traces of its hospitable past, such as the first stone of 1712 exhibited at the Musée d'Orbigny-Bernon.

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