Following the abdication
of Napoleon I, under pressure from Talleyrand
and the Senate, and with the approval of Tsar
Alexander I, Louis
XVIII signed the Declaration of Saint-Ouen in
the old seigniorial château. While restoring
the monarchy by divine right, this act,
on which the Charter of 1814 was based, recognised
the principal political and social achievements
of the French Revolution.
Commissioned
by Louis XVIII for his favourite,
the Comtesse du Cayla, the château
was built by Jean-Jacques Marie Huvé.
It is one of the rare extant examples of
the Restoration
style and recalls the Palladian villas
of the end of the Italian Renaissance. Several
rooms, with their refined decor, were listed
as «Historic
Monuments»in 1965. On the first
floor are the apartments of the Comtesse
du Cayla which have kept their original
layout.
The reception rooms
reflect well the atmosphere of the Restoration:
all the luxury derived from the rarity and
quality of the materials used. The painter
Gérard and the cabinet-maker Bellangé
worked on the decoration of this residence
which was completed in 1823.
A room is set aside for a permanent
exhibition on the history of the town,
from its origins to our time, presented
on panels and illustrated by a varied iconography:
paintings,
engravings, photographs, postcards
(accessible to groups on request).
Today, the building houses the
town's collections of contemporary art
which include works from celebrated artists
such as Richier, Léger, Bourdelle,
etc. The art of the 20th century is also
presented in temporary exhibitions which
highlight the work of numerous artists.
This lively centre is also the setting for
many cultural activities: concerts, lectures,
etc. The château houses the Municipal
Conservatory of Music, Drama and Dance.
The Abel Mézières
park which surrounds the château
regularly features events. Strollers can
appreciate the contemporary sculptures scattered
about.
12 rue Albert Dhalenne (B2)
01 49 48 95 20 The Town Hall, built at the end of
the Second Empire, is noteworthy for its
decor of great finesse. The Municipal Council
meeting room is adorned with maroufle
paintings and was listed as a historic monument
in 1993. The painter Paul
Gervais filled
the room with very vivid and colourful scenes
of life in Saint-Ouen at the end of the
19th century.
7 place de la République (C3) The oldest parts of the church date
from the 12th
century and feature anthropomorphic
capitals
as well as a sculpted
group adorning the lintel. The successive
modifications made to the building over
the centuries give it a disparate
architectural style which nevertheless
expresses a pleasing unity of pure lines
and harmonious combinations. The church
was listed
on the supplementary inventory of historic
monuments in 1933.
The site of the church, on a promontory,
offers a vast panorama that sweeps around
from Saint-Denis to the business district
of La Défense. The vines recently
planted at the foot of the building
recall that Saint-Ouen was for centuries
a village of wine-growers.
4 rue du Planty (C1) Built by the architect Paul Jaspar
with a framework
by Gustave Eiffel, the old pavilion
of the gunsmiths of Liège featured
in the World
Fair of 1900. Remarkable for its
exterior architecture, it now houses artist's
studios rented out by the Saint-Ouen municipal
authority.
2 impasse Germaine(E4)
Reception
and Information Centre: 30 av G. Péri / Reception Flea Market: 7
impasse Simon /33
(0)1 40 11 77 36 /33
(0)1 40 11 01 70 /infos@st-ouen-tourisme.com