Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The town hall of Pézenas occupies the premises of the former royal college founded in 1597 by Henri IV, at the request of the connetable of Montmorency and the Duke of Ventadour. Destined to teach fine letters, liberal arts, and Greek and Latin languages, he was first directed by a secular regent before being entrusted to the Fathers of the Christian Doctrine, then to the Oratory in 1623. Built on the plans of Father Gontier (jesuite) after the acquisition of a mas in 1601, the college was completed in 1611 and extended between 1670 and 1674 by the buildings of the great and small seminaries, raised under the direction of Father Barème.

The chapel, built between 1610 and 1622, now retains only its 18th century façade, marked by a style close to the Giral brothers (ionic pilasters, garlands of foliage). The monumental gate on Massillon Street, opened in 1733, replaces houses acquired by the city. The original arrangement of the college, organised around a rectangular courtyard with refectory and alcove rooms, was profoundly transformed in the 19th century. After the Revolution, the municipality abandoned the former Consular House to settle in the premises of the major seminary, giving the building its present function.

Among the preserved elements are the door to the courtyard, two ground floor rooms, a central staircase, and a vaulted gallery opening onto the old garden of the simple (now Boby-Lapointe Square). The emblem of the Oratory — Jesus Maria in a crown of thorns — always adorns the front of the gate. The site, classified as a Historic Monument in 1931 (registered facade), bears witness to architectural and educational changes between Renaissance and modern times.

External links