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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Autun theatre, located at Charles-de-Gaulle Avenue, was built between 1881 and 1884 by architect Jean-Etienne Giroud, on the plans approved by the municipal council in July 1881. He replaced a former wheat hall theatre built in 1779 by Pierre Joseph Antoine, demolished in 1875 because of his old age. The site, marked by budget overruns and doubts about the stability of the building, is completed after three years of work. The hall, from plan to U with three galleries and pre-scene lodges, was inaugurated on August 30, 1884. The interior decor, including a ceiling painted on a marouflé canvas, is made by the architect's brother, a Lyon decorator.

The theatre is part of a local tradition of multi-purpose rooms, combining cultural and economic spaces since the 18th century. The first hall, built in 1763 in the former refectory of the Cathedral Chapter, was contested and replaced by the 1779 building, which itself was criticized for its location closing access to the public square. The current version, classified as Historic Monument in 1991, retains this original dual vocation, with a wheat hall built into the basement. The facades, the roof, the entertainment hall and the public foyer (including the second floor, shared by the upper galleries) are protected.

The complete restoration of the theatre, completed in 1988, preserved its original architecture and decor. The ornamental sculptures were executed by Tournon (Jura) and the statues of the pediment, now missing, by the sculptor Pascal. The entrepreneur Louis-Clément Roche de Lons-le-Saunier was in charge of the work, awarded in September 1881. The building thus illustrates the evolution of cultural facilities in a provincial environment, between the legacy of the Enlightenment and urban modernization under the Third Republic.

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