town hall of Mortagne-au-Perche

The Town Hall of Mortagne-au-Perche (Hôtel de Ville, also known as the Hôtel Crestien de Galais) stands on Place du Général de Gaulle at the heart of this town in the Orne department, in the historic Perche region of Normandy. Unlike most town halls, it wasn't purpose-built as a seat of local government — it began life as a private mansion and only later took on its civic role.

Why does the town hall look like a private mansion?

Because it is one. The building is a former hôtel particulier, a grand townhouse, constructed at the start of the 18th century for the Crestien de Galais family. As members of the local Perche gentry, the family built a residence to match their standing, with formal reception rooms, refined interior decoration, and a landscaped garden laid out alongside the house — features that still shape how the building reads today.

When did the mansion become the town hall?

The town of Mortagne acquired the property, and it has served as the town hall since 1838. This kind of conversion was common across 19th-century France: rather than fund a new civic building from scratch, many towns repurposed an existing grand townhouse, gaining an impressive seat of government at a fraction of the cost.

What survives from the original interior?

The standout survival is the great reception room, finished with Louis XV-style wood paneling. That room now serves as the mayor's office — meaning the town's chief elected official works surrounded by 18th-century decorative woodwork rather than a modern administrative setting. For visitors interested in period interiors, it's a rare case of a historic reception room still fulfilling a working function rather than being roped off as a museum piece.

What's in the garden behind the town hall?

Behind the building lies a public garden, the surviving remnant of the park that once belonged to the Crestien de Galais residence. It's laid out in the formal French style, with flowerbeds arranged around a circular basin. Two pieces of public art anchor the garden:

• A bronze equestrian group by Emmanuel Frémiet (1824–1910), depicting an allegorical scene drawn from Ovid's mythology: Neptune, god of the sea, transformed into a horse and ridden by Cupid, god of love, setting off to conquer Ceres, goddess of agriculture.
• A bust of Jules Chaplain (1839–1909), a medal engraver and sculptor connected to Mortagne, whose works are held at the town's Musée Percheron.

A small kiosk also stands in the garden, which is free to enter and open daily.

Where exactly is the town hall located?

The address is 22, Place du Général de Gaulle, 61400 Mortagne-au-Perche — the town's central square, surrounded by other historic buildings in the old town center.

Frequently asked questions

Was the town hall always a government building? No. It was built in the early 18th century as a private residence for the Crestien de Galais family and has only functioned as the town hall since 1838.

Can visitors go inside the town hall? The Louis XV reception room now serves as the mayor's office, so access is tied to the building's administrative use. The garden behind the building, however, is open to everyone, free of charge, every day.

What should I look for in the garden? Emmanuel Frémiet's bronze equestrian group of Neptune and Cupid pursuing Ceres, and a bust of local medal engraver Jules Chaplain, set among formal French flowerbeds around a circular basin.

Who originally owned the building? The Crestien de Galais family, local Perche gentry who commissioned the mansion in the early 1700s and for whom its surviving decorative interiors were created.