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Origin and history

The Town Hall of Thouars finds its origins in a convent built in 1667 for the regular canons of St Augustine. This religious building, erected after the abbey meeting in the congregation of Sainte-Geneviève in 1655, replaces medieval structures destroyed during the wars of Religion. The work of the seventeenth century gave rise to an abbey house made of cut stone, characteristic of the classical architecture of the era.

After the Revolution, the convent became a college in 1806 and was converted into a town hall in 1847. The building then underwent major renovations, with few original interior elements, with the exception of the stone stairs and the wedding hall, whose woodwork was restored. Its facades and roofs, as well as these remarkable elements, have been protected since 1999 as historical monuments.

Located in Saint-Laon Square, near the church of the same name, the building illustrates the re-use of religious heritage by civil institutions in the 19th century. Its structure, combining cutting stone and honeycombs coated under a slate cover, reflects both its monastic heritage and its adaptation to municipal functions. Today, it remains a symbol of the urban history of Thouars, mixing religious memory and administrative life.

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