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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The stop house of Riom, built in the 19th century, fits into a rectangular enclosure with a round road. Five parallel buildings, connected by a central gallery, house the administration, male detention pavilions (on two levels), and a female pavilion with chapel. The cells, aligned to the north, are distributed by a south longitudinal corridor. The set, of Volvic stone, has a symmetrical and regular prescription, with identical curved berries, even at the back where they are partially blind.

Originally located near the courthouse, the prison was rebuilt according to a grid plan, adopted in 1858, replacing a first cellular project radiating from 1854. The plan reflects the guidelines of the time, focusing on dormitories and collective spaces, as well as the separation of inmates by type of sentence. Inaugurated in 1866, the stopping house underwent few subsequent changes, with the exception of buildings added to the 20th century and minor interior developments.

During the Second World War, the prison housed political prisoners, including Marshal De Lattre de Tassigny (1941-1943) and Jean Zay (1941-1944), who wrote personal and political texts. During the trial in Riom in 1942, indictees such as Léon Blum, Édouard Daladier and Maurice Gamelin were interned in an area specially arranged for the days of the hearing. These events mark its history as a place of detention and resistance.

The monument, fully protected by an order of 2024, includes its enclosure walls, courtyards, and an underground connecting it to the courthouse. Its architecture, signed by the departmental architect Aymon Mallay, illustrates the prison principles of the 19th century, combining functional rigour and neat aesthetics. Volvic's stone, used in stone and stone, gives the building a remarkable stylistic unit.

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