The Town hall square

  • Huguenot cross La Rochelle © Musée Rochelais d'Histoire Protestante

In the centre of the square stands a statue of Jean Guiton. He was a symbol of Rochelais resistance during the 1628 Great Siege. The people of La Rochelle wished to erect a memorial to the mayor which instigated a great political and religious controversy before the government granted them permission. The statue, a work by the sculptor Dubois, was erected in 1911, partly thanks to donations from residents of New Rochelle, founded in 1687 by Rochelais, Saintongeais and Poitevins huguenot immigrants to America after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.

The modern paving contains a representation of a Huguenot cross.

 

Associated tours

  • A walk through Protestant La Rochelle

    As early as 1546, La Rochelle was one of the major cities in the kingdom won over to the Reformation. La Rochelle had been an economic and maritime power since...

Associated notes