Start of construction of college 1579 (≈ 1579)
Destroyed during the League wars.
1650
Foundation of the Ursulines Monastery
Foundation of the Ursulines Monastery 1650 (≈ 1650)
Use of destroyed college materials.
1792
Sale as a national good
Sale as a national good 1792 (≈ 1792)
Monastery removed from the Revolution.
1794-1798
Construction of belfry
Construction of belfry 1794-1798 (≈ 1796)
Square tower for the municipal clock.
1802
Transformation into a city hall
Transformation into a city hall 1802 (≈ 1802)
Purchase by the municipality.
1822
Installation of the statue of Michel de L的Hospital
Installation of the statue of Michel de L的Hospital 1822 (≈ 1822)
Gift from King Charles X.
1975
Classification of belfry
Classification of belfry 1975 (≈ 1975)
Protection for historical monuments.
2020
Registration of facades and courtyard
Registration of facades and courtyard 2020 (≈ 2020)
Extension of heritage protection.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
In total (including the porch), the belfry of the Hôtel-de-ville (Box B 155): by order of 7 October 1975; The facades, roofs and monumental staircases of the city hotel and its porch, the facades and roofs of the side pavilions of the belfry with their fountains, as well as the floor of the main courtyard (Box AC 6): inscription by decree of 10 February 2020
Key figures
Michel de L’Hospital - Chancellor of France
Statue offered by Charles X in 1822.
Charles X - King of France
Donor of the statue in 1822.
Ursulines - Religious educators
Founders of the monastery in 1650.
Origin and history
The city hall of Aigueperse occupies the site of a former college destroyed during the League wars (1579-1598). In 1650 the municipality authorized the Ursulines to build a monastery there in exchange for the education of the young girls of the city. The nuns used the materials of the destroyed college to erect their convent, marking the beginning of the architectural history of the site.
At the Revolution, the monastery was sold as a national property in 1792 before being bought by the commune in 1802 to become the city hall. Between 1794 and 1798, a square tower was added to house a clock acquired during the sale of the national goods of the Chartreuse de Port-Sainte-Marie. The pavilions surrounding the porch date from the same period, while the large bell, dating from 1509, comes from the old bell tower of Notre Dame church, demolished in 1794.
The belfry, surmounted by a jacquemart with three automatons dressed in red and blue, was restored in 1978. These mechanical figures rhythmize the hours by striking the bells, including a small 1509. In the centre of the courtyard, a marble statue of Michel de L的Hospital, donated by Charles X in 1822, recalls the historic link of the city with this humanist chancellor. The 17th-century main building features an arcade gallery on the ground floor and two floors topped with attic.
The building, classified and inscribed in historical monuments (1956, 1975, 2020), retains various architectural elements: a monumental staircase with square balusters (1827), a solar dial on the tower, and two fountains surrounding the gate. Its history reflects political and social transformations, from its religious role under the Ursulines to its current civic function.
The successive protections (classification of the belfry in 1975, inscription of the facades and of the court in 2020) highlight the heritage value of the site. Owned by the municipality, the Town Hall remains a central place for municipal life, while at the same time bearing witness to the artistic and technical heritages of the 17th and 18th centuries.
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