In 1482, King Louis XII agreed to entrust the management of the city of Troyes to a mayor, assisted by aldermen.
These functions were carried out by magistrates or merchants, usually on a voluntary basis. The first mayor of Troyes was Edmond Le Boucherat.
Before him, an advisory council sat occasionally in various places in the heart of the city, such as the chapter of Saint-Pierre or the former convent of Cordeliers. In 1479, the council moved out of this aristocratic district to live permanently in the "corps du bouchon" and rented a house near the church of Saint-Urbain, then known as the Chambre de l'Échevinage, which was equipped with a bell to call meetings.
In 1494, the city council bought the Hôtel de Mesgrigny, a large building from the 15th century, and in the 17th century decided to build a new city hall. Louis XIII gave permission to use a small part of the income from the tax on wine and salt. The building was therefore built gradually and was not finished until around 1672. In 1933 and 1937, two wings were added to the back by the architect F. Balley.
The central facade, with its blue Tournai marble columns, has a niche with a helmeted Minerva, replacing a statue of Louis XIV that was destroyed during the French Revolution.
On the monumental mantelpiece in the council chamber, there is still a large wooden medallion with the effigy of this king, sculpted in 1687 by the Trojan François Girardon (1628-1715). Another memorable trace of the Revolution on the facade is the revolutionary motto that was displayed on all French town halls at the time: "Unité, Indivisibilité de la République, Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité ou la Mort" ("Unity, Indivisibility of the Republic, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity or Death").
The 12th century Hôtel de Ville is located in the heart of the historic district of Troyes and was built by Pierre Cottard.
The building is built in the style of Louis XIII and the façade with the statue of a "helmeted Minerva" has been listed as a monument historique since 1932.
Translated by Google •
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