The Halles

You have now arrived in the area of the old covered market, known as the “Halles”. All this space was renovated in the 2000s, literally offering a new district to the city. Originally, the Benedictine convent and the chapel of the Black Penitents stood here. The Black Penitents were a lay brotherhood tasked with accompanying the condemned to the scaffold, located nearby. During the Revolution, the Dominicans were expelled, and the convent was used for the Senate of Savoy. With the construction of a court house, in 1847, the old convent buildings are no longer useful and are demolished to construct the covered market. Later, as Chambéry became attached to France it doubled in size and People found themselves cramped in this small market. This led to its demolition and the construction of a large reinforced concrete hall. A major architectural competition chaired by Tony Garnier, a Grand Prix de Rome winner, took place, and the construction of an innovative building began. This was in 1937. Seventy years later, it became more than necessary to refresh everything. The result is in front of you, it took three years of work but literally converted the old covered market square into a dynamic city center, buzzing with shops, cinemas, bars, and restaurants– it’s definitely worth exploring!