Hotel de Ville de Bourg de Péage (ex Cloître des Minimes)

Long before it housed the Commune's departments, this building was originally... a monastery! It wasn't until 1791 that the convent housed the first municipal services: a Town Clerk, a Caretaker, a Drummer and a Primer.

In 1614, three monks from the Minimes order settled in Bourg de Péage. They bought a plot of land opposite the church (no longer standing), with a single idea in mind: to build a monastery and church to counterbalance the growing influence of the Huguenots.
Construction began in 1621. Once completed, the Monastery consisted of a Convent, Cloister, Church, Hospice and Six Chapels.
It wasn't until 1791 that the convent housed the first municipal services: a Town Clerk, a Caretaker, a Drummer and an Apprentice.

The Cloister has been integrated into successive developments, and most of its elements are no longer visible.
The Town Hall staircase was used as a set in Max Ophuls' 1939 film "From Mayerling to Sarajèvo" for its resemblance to the buildings of the Bosnian town. Strange coincidence: just as the actors were performing the scene of the Archduke's assassination attempt, the Second World War broke out....

In the 1960s, major renovations were undertaken: the former Hospice (located at the rear) was modernized and turned into a full-fledged retirement home. The church (to the right of the building you're standing in front of) was demolished in 1969 to make way for a bank.

Although the religious vocation of the site has now disappeared, the Minimes still left their name to the square and the retirement home.