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Origin and history

The Jules-Ferry du Gua School, located in Aubin, Aveyron, was built between 1876 and 1880 on the initiative of the Aubin Mining Company, then owned by the Paris-Orléans Railway Company. Funded by the Caisse de Secours Minier, this work by the Parisian architect Emmanuel Brune is distinguished by its imposing dimensions (59 meters long, 12 meters wide) and its location on a terrace overlooking the Faubourg du Gua. Originally reserved for boys and entrusted to the brothers of the Christian schools, it became a secular school before moving into the communal domain in 1947.

The building, conceived as a "school palace", contrasts with the modest architecture of the surrounding houses. Its facades, roofs, fence walls, stairs and gates were listed as historical monuments by order of 5 June 2002. Despite its protected status, the school has retained its primary vocation and still welcomes primary school students, demonstrating its long-term attachment to the local educational landscape.

The construction of this school takes place in an industrial context marked by mining in Aveyron in the 19th century. The Compagnie du Paris-Orléans, a major player in regional economic development, sees this as a way of improving the living conditions of workers and their families. The ostentatious architecture of the building also reflects a desire for prestige, combining utilitarian and social symbolic function in a workers' suburb.

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