Visit of the Town

 

 

Statue of heavy suit diver in bronze
It was unveiled on the riverside in 2000, June to celebrate 20 years for the opening of museum
It represents heavy diving suit used by the captain Nemo and his sailors
the Town
the " Cazal"

From XIVth century, the town, surrounded by walls, go t organized around 3 streets: The Droite, Méjane and Plô Streets. The town was crossed by the old road from Rodez to Le Puy. From south, it went down from castle by the Calade Street, came into the town by the St Georges's fortified door and followed the Droite Street to the bridge. In front of the bridge was the Griffoul square with it fountain. To day, the Méjane and Plô Streets start from the Puits (well) square where the " Cazal", the first town hall in history, is.

Droite street
The war memorial

At the bottom of an erected stone, we can see a lied down lion with a spade under its front feet, and a shepherdess holding a branch of laurel. That very original memorial was sculpted by a sculptor named Arsal.

the Old Bridge

This medieval bridge was probably built in XIth century, following a first bridge with a wooden roadway built by the lords of Calmont near IXth century. The Espalion town was developed around the bridge from XIIth century.

Originally, the bridge was built with 5 arches in symmetrical plane. The first arch, near southern part, is buried under the Griffoul square.

From construction of the sandstone bridge, many little stores, named " obradors", for selling of various products were built on the roadway. In XIVth century, they were so numerous that, in 1333, an order must regulate their number. The land register, in 1403, counted around twenty put on the two side of the bridge.

 

In XVIth century, the bridge threatens to collapse and it was decided to reinforce it building retaining arches (2) under original arches (1). In 1699 it was decided to widen the roadway making corbelled arches (3) to allow saving 35cm space. To day, these corbelled constructions still support parapets.

  

Fortified bridge

In the middle of XIVth century, bridge was included into the whole fortifications of the town. Near the city, a tower shut access of bridge. On the first pillar of the bridge was built a watching tower. At last, a third tower, called " Our Lady" tower, was built near the suburb. In 1588, last arch was replaced with a drawbridge until 1724.
the old bridge near 1650
In 1841 a new bridge was built downriver from the old bridge to face the increase of traffic.
Old bridge was classified as Historical Monument in 1888.
the Old Law Courts

This little castle was built in 1572 by Bernardin de la Valette, a captain engaged by consuls to defend the town during the Wars of Religion. The castle was bought in 1599 by town authorities to transfer into the town hall. In XVIIth, some of the rooms were used for school.

In 1799 Espalion became a sub-prefecture and a magistrate's court was installed in the building. This magistrate's court is the explanation of the name " Vieux-Palais (old law courts)".

In 1897 the town hall was transferred in the St John the Baptist church and the " Vieux-Palais" was deserted.
It was classified Historical Monument in 1912.
In 1936 the Aveyron's Saving Banks bought the building to install its offices and give permission Joseph Vaylet to use the ground floor for his Arts and Popular Traditions museum. I n 1992 the building was bought again by the town authorities and entrusted to an Association for Revival of " Vieux-Palais".
St John the Baptist Church
Old St John the Baptist church
(XVth century)

Until the middle of the XVth century, the town was served for religion by 2 outside churches: Perse church and St Sauveur chapel. In 1472 the St John the Baptist church was built on the site of the hospital for the poor whom the belfry only remains. This church was indulged in religion in 1478 and was consacrated by François d' Estaing in 1524. The building of the church tower began in 1503, but it only was ended in 1552 following a quarrel between the town authorities and the Calmont's lords about the heights of this church tower.

In 1508 the town put Antoine Salvanh an order to a picture window which took the place of a rose window as well as a limestone portal. This portal is very spoiled, but it's easy to know what's the originally appearance with a visit to its twin portal on St Côme church, also sculpted by Salvanh.
Espalion
 
St Côme
In 1883 the new parish church was consecrated and the St John the Baptist's name was transferred to it. The old church was disused. In 1887 the town considered to destroy the church to build a covered market, but finally decided to convert the building into the new town hall.
The inside developments consisted on creation of a wooden floor and opening of windows to light the building. Outside a neo-gothic façade was built with monumental stairs, turrets and a covered loggia.

On the high part of the façade a badge was sculpted with Espalion's modern arms created in XIXth century. The only historical arms of the town were the Calmont's:

" white badge with a black lion "

list
the Parish Chuch
New St John the Baptist church

(XIXth century)

The portal of the neo-gothic parish church is surrounded with a closed yard. The red sandstone was used for all the façade as well as towers, foothills and framing of the picture windows. To reduce costs, lateral walls and bedside were built with limestone and coated with roughcast looking like sandstone colour. The church took St John the Baptist's name like the other, this name being transferred when the old church was disused.

 

The church tower is composed of two 45m high towers topped with 3m high Virgin and St Joseph statues, this form takes it a little cathedral look. The tympanum, the only sculpted decoration of the portal, bears the Christ's statue surrounded with St John the Baptist and St Hilarian's.
St Hilarian's reliquary
Penitents Chapel

In 1668, on a Jesuitical preacher father Miguel's suggestion, the brotherhood of White Penitents set up in Espalion. The town put the chapel of the hospital at the brotherhood's disposal.

In 1700 Penitents brotherhood found the necessary financial resources to build its own chapel against the town walls in the Plô Street. It might use the materials of the demolition of one of the tower on the old bridge, provided that it takes charge of costs.

In 1704, 4 years after, works were ended and brotherhood could settle in this chapel where it lived until the French Revolution.

 

The chapel, consecrated to the Christ's Circumcision, was decorated in XIXth century by Louis Castanié, painter and sculptor. He also sculpted the Virgin statue on Vermus pike.

The Penitents brotherhood was removed in 1927.

Ursulines
the Ursulines's chapel

In 1633 Marie-Madeleine du Prat set up in Espalion the Ursulines congregation to educate girls. The convent was built in 1672 and was the beginning of the expansion of the suburb on the right bank of Lot River. During the French Revolution, the convent was used as prison, and then sold as national property. From 1808 to 1895 it was used as a school.

In 1806 White Penitents and Blue Penitents brotherhoods merged and settled in the Ursulines's chapel. In 1837 Penitents brotherhood bought another its chapel.

The convent was destroyed in the middle of XXth century to built the post office. The portal of the chapel was rebuilt on the left bank, in the St Joseph's street.

reconstruction of the portal
the Old Prisons
In 1838, the Espalion's civilian and religious authorities decided to equip the town with modern prisons. The concern was to humanize incarceration by removal of dungeons and communal rooms particularly baneful for children, replacing them with single cells. Theses first cellular prisons in Aveyron were mixed and men and women's parts were separated with a chapel in the central part.
After prisons were removed, the building nearly got destroyed. It was saved by some passionate and today shelters one of the exposures of the Rouergue museum.

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