Auditorium

You’re standing in Auditorium Square, one of the most iconic spots along Royan’s seafront. To your left, that striking curved shape, reminiscent of a giant seashell, is the Marcel Canellas Auditorium, completed in 1961. This architectural gem captures the very spirit of Royan’s postwar reconstruction. Its pointed, ogive-shaped floor plan, evoking the tail of an airplane, was directly inspired by Oscar Niemeyer’s Saint Francis of Assisi Church in Pampulha, Brazil. Here again, you can see the influence of the “Brazilian modernism” that left such a strong mark on Royan in the 1950s. Notice the reinforced concrete vault, decorated with mosaics in Royan’s signature blue and white, and at the rear, behind the stage, a geometric mural that recalls the work of Piet Mondrian. This bold design also delivers remarkable acoustics, with its orientation naturally shielding the hall from the noise of the beach. The auditorium stands on the symbolic site of the old municipal casino, destroyed in the January 1945 bombing. For three decades, it hosted concerts and performances before falling into disuse, until its complete restoration in 2011.