Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée de l'Échevinage occupies a historic building in the heart of Saintes, Charente-Maritime. Its origins date back to the 15th century, after the Hundred Years War, when Louis XI confirmed the communal charter of 1199 granted by Aliénor d'Aquitaine. The only vestige of this time, the octagonal base of the belfry, completed in 1587 with its dome at the lantern. The main body, taken over in the 18th century, forms a remarkable ensemble with its paved courtyard and wrought iron gate, classified since 1939.

Founded in 1864 thanks to the bequest of Count Louis-Nicolas Lemercier, the museum was established in the Échevinage in 1978. It houses 19th-century collections of paintings (Orientalism, Romanticism, Realism) and porcelain of Sèvres. The flagship works include paintings by Courbet, Auguin or Geoffroy, illustrating Saintongese and Bordeaux schools. The museum is the only one of Saintes entirely dedicated to Fine Arts.

The former seat of communal power under the Old Regime also retains an iconic fountain and belfry. Since 2009, the Museum of the Presidual, formerly complementary, serves as a reserve. The Échevinage remains a major architectural and cultural testimony, labeled Musée de France and inscribed in historical monuments for its exterior elements (portal, facade, roof).

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