City Hall

Here you are at the foot of the Cité Plantagenêt, standing before a remarkable heritage ensemble where more than two thousand years of history meet. Beneath your feet lie the remains of the Gallo-Roman wall built in the 3rd century. Look around you, terraced gardens run along this ancient rampart, unique in France for its striking polychrome patterns. To your left rises the graceful silhouette of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre-la-Cour. Built as early as 969, it served as the chapel of the Counts of Maine and later the Plantagenets. Its two-tiered apse, added in the 13th century, was directly inspired by the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. Once home to the relics of Saint Scholastica, patron saint of Le Mans, it has been a place of worship, an arsenal, and later a school. Today, it hosts exhibitions in its lower chapel, whose medieval vaults have miraculously survived. To your right, note the elegant 18th-century building that houses the Town Hall. It stands on the site of the former comital palace, the lavish residence of the Counts of Maine and the Plantagenet kings. This was the birthplace of Henry II, future King of England, and the home of his mother, the influential Empress Matilda. Imagine its great hall, 713 square metres in size and 23 metres high, rivaling the royal palaces of Poitiers or Winchester. It was demolished in the 18th century, but if you step into the Town Hall’s entrance hall, you can still see the remains of its walled-up windows. Ahead of you, the Gros-Pilier Tower marks the start of the old Ponts-Neufs staircase, which has linked the upper town to modern Le Mans since the 14th century. Wedged between the collegiate church and the palace, this monumental passageway perfectly captures the architectural unity of this history-rich quarter. Finally, the gardens pay tribute to two Renaissance figures, Pierre de Ronsard and Jacques Peletier du Mans, poets of the Pléiade. Ronsard even served as prior of a local establishment in 1565. Their presence here is a reminder of the bond between this historic setting and France’s literary tradition.