The L'Échevinage mansion is located in the town of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, in the Charente-Maritime department, 25 km northeast of Saintes.
The building was built from 1275 to 1277. Intended to house the city's aldermen (elected magistrates responsible for administering the affairs of the locality and judging certain disputes), it included a building of several floors and a tower watchtower, which had a military function, now called the Clock Tower.
The complex, having suffered damage during the Hundred Years' War, was rebuilt in the 16th century.
In 1765, the mansion collapsed. Now only the ground floor remains with its street facade decorated with a sculpted portal and mullioned windows. The property is private and a business is housed there. The Clock Tower, for its part, has been preserved, overcoming a vaulted passage a few dozen meters away.
Listed in the Inventory, these picturesque medieval testimonies can mark out a free or guided tour of the historic center of Saint-Jean-d'Angély. Inquire at +33 5 46 32 04 72.
