Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Municipal Theatre of Carcassonne, built between 1933 and 1935, replaces a former theatre installed in 1797 in the church of the Jacobin convent, confiscated from the Revolution. This convent, founded at the end of the 16th century, was transformed into a theatre by Benoît Faral, then acquired in 1843 by Casimir Courtejaire, who bequeathed him to the city in 1874. Despite repairs, the building, which was old and dangerous, was deemed unsuitable for safety standards in the 1930s.

The decision to rebuild a modern theatre was formalized in 1929, as part of the Plan d'aménagement, dembellisation et d'extension (PAEE) imposed by the Cornudet Act of 1919. The project was entrusted to the architects Raymond Esparseil (local) and Marcel Oudin (parisian), specialist in prestressed concrete. This innovative material created a room without poles, a rarity for the time. The project, led by Fiorio, also included advanced heating, air conditioning and lighting systems, inspired by the technologies used on the Normandy ship.

The Art Deco architecture of the theatre is distinguished by its verticality, its noble materials (travertine, coloured marbles like the Eastern Skyros or the green of the Alps) and the absence of superfluous decorations. The facade, transparent and rhythmic by monumental columns, invites the passerby to see the interior. Inside, the Italian room, the large staircase with polychrome marbles, and the decorations painted by Jean-Noël Garrigues (The Pastoral Symphony) and Gustave-Louis Jaulmes (references to Erato and Terpsichore) illustrate this refined yet luxurious style.

Inaugurated on 8 July 1935 by a lecture by Paul Valéry, the theatre was hailed for its pioneering techniques, such as reinforced concrete or invisible air conditioning. Ranked a Historic Monument in 2002, he now retains his original arrangements, including the organ game and the lighting rheostat, testimony of his vanguardism. Its history also reflects the urban evolution of Carcassonne, marked by the transition between religious heritage and modern culture.

The theatre is part of a broader context of renovation of cultural facilities in France in the inter-war period. The Cornudet Act, designed to modernize cities, encouraged municipalities to invest in public infrastructure. In Carcassonne, this project also symbolized the desire to energize the lower city, in opposition to the medieval city, by equipment resolutely geared towards innovation and accessible to a wider public.

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