Appointment of Intendant Fontette 1752 (≈ 1752)
Start of urban redevelopment in Caen.
1755
Start of work place Fontette
Start of work place Fontette 1755 (≈ 1755)
Shave the ramparts and create the square.
1758
Completion of the Southern Pavilion
Completion of the Southern Pavilion 1758 (≈ 1758)
Construction by the monks of Saint-Étienne.
1777
Transformation of the North Pavilion into Barracks
Transformation of the North Pavilion into Barracks 1777 (≈ 1777)
200 men housed to control the population.
1783
Construction begins courthouse
Construction begins courthouse 1783 (≈ 1783)
Façade completed around 1809.
1978
Ranking of the ancient center of Caen
Ranking of the ancient center of Caen 1978 (≈ 1978)
Protection including Fontette Square.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Baron de Fontette - Host of the Generality of Caen
Initiator of urban redevelopment in the 18th century.
Louis XV - King of France
Sovereign under which the work was carried out.
Léon Falconnier - Sculptor
Author of bas-reliefs of the palace (1849).
Origin and history
Fontette Square, built in the 18th century in Caen, replaces the old medieval fortifications to modernize the city. This project, led by the intendant of Fontette, aimed to unblock the city centre by creating a new entrance to the west, connected by a straight street (current rue Guillaume-le-Conquerant). The octagonal square, bordered by symmetrical pavilions, symbolized this desire for urban ventilation and rationalization, typical of the Enlightenment.
In the middle of the 18th century, Caen suffered from an inadequate medieval structure: narrow streets, difficult traffic, and isolated neighbourhoods like Bourg-l-Abbé. The revocation of the edict of Nantes (1685) had also marked the city, with clandestine burial places for Huguenots near the present square. The redevelopment of Place Fontette, coupled with that of Place Saint-Sauveur, reflected a double ambition: to beautify the city and facilitate travel, while affirming royal power.
The works, begun in 1755, included the razing of the ramparts, the filling of the ditches, and the construction of two entrance pavilions (1758 and 1772). The north pavilion, transformed into a barracks in 1777, illustrates the social tensions of the time, with an army kept nearby to control possible riots. The square, spared during the Battle of Caen (1944), today preserves its original layout and its classified facades, witness to this pivotal period.
The courthouse, built from 1783 north of the square, completed this architectural ensemble. Its façade, completed around 1809, and its bas-reliefs (1849) added a monumental dimension to the site. Fontette Square, less prestigious than its neighbour Saint-Sauveur, remains a notable example of the urbanisation of the Enlightenment in Normandy, combining functionality and classic aesthetics.
Ranked in the protected perimeter of the ancient centre of Caen since 1978, Place Fontette embodies the transition between the medieval city and the modern city. Its buildings, like the house of 3 Place Fontette, reflect the social and architectural transformations of the eighteenth century, where hygiene, traffic and urban prestige became priorities for local and royal elites.
