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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The college of Pézenas was founded in 1597 by Henri IV, at the request of the connétable de Montmorency and the Duke of Ventadour. Destined to teach beautiful letters, liberal arts, as well as Greek and Latin languages, he was initially entrusted to a secular regent before being managed by the Fathers of the Christian Doctrine, then by the Oratory from 1623. Built according to the plans of Father Gontier, Jesuit, on a land acquired in 1601 (a mas with dovecote and garden), the college was completed in 1611, then extended between 1670 and 1674 by the buildings of the large and small seminars.

East wing of the college, adjacent to the chapel, initially housed the classrooms. The arrangements of the 19th century erased its original layout, known only by old plans: a rectangular courtyard bordered to the west by the chapel, to the east by the classes, and to the south by the refectory, the kitchen and a staircase leading to the rooms. The elements still visible today come mainly from the constructions of Father Barème in the 1670s, such as the door to the courtyard, two rooms on the ground floor, a central staircase, and a vaulted gallery opened on the old garden of the simple (now Boby-Lapointe Square).

The chapel, built between 1610 and 1622, has been profoundly remodelled; Only its façade, which was resumed in the 18th century, remains. Its style evokes that of the Giral, with colossal ionic pilasters and garlands of foliage. The monumental gate on Massillon Street, decorated with the emblem of the Oratory (Jesus Maria in a crown of thorns), dates only from 1733, opened after the acquisition of adjacent houses. During the Revolution, the municipality installed the town hall, leaving the former Consular House.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1931 (inscription of the facade), the site now belongs to the commune. Its history reflects educational and political developments, from Jesuits to secularization, through its role under the Revolution.

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