Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The town hall of Bazas finds its origins in the Presidual Palace, a judicial institution created under the Old Regime. The first building was erected in 1553, separated from the Cathedral Square by a public hall. At that time, the officers of the Presidial, a royal court between the bailiffs and the parliaments, were sheltered to alleviate the burden of the latter by dealing with appeals at first instance.

In 1729, a new stone building was built, incorporating the old hall to provide a space "more suitable for the convenience of the public, that of the officers and for the decoration of the city". This project reflected the urban ambitions of Bazas, then a prosperous city thanks to its administrative role and market. The hall, the central area of trade, was thus merged with the palace, symbolizing the union of the judicial and economic powers.

The monument was partially protected as historical monuments by an order of 12 April 1965, specifically covering "the facades and roofs, as well as the floor of the portals". This inscription recognizes the heritage value of the building, a witness to the architectural and political transformations of Bazas, from the sixteenth century — marked by the wars of Religion — to the classical age, a period of stabilization of royal power in Aquitaine.

Today, the city hall occupies a central place in the urban landscape, at 2 Cathedral Square (or 52 Cathedral Square depending on the sources). Its location, in the immediate vicinity of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, which is itself listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the Santiago de Compostela Roads, underlines its historic importance in a city where spiritual and temporal power coexisted closely.

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