La Valette: The history of circles, witnesses of social changes
An Académie du Var conference retraced the history of workers' circles in La Valette, reflecting the evolution of society.
Led by Jacques Le Vot, the Académie du Var conference dedicated to the workers' circles of La Valette drew an attentive audience to the Salle du Lavoir in June.
The objective of this presentation, prepared with the Archives municipales, was to retrace the history of these places of sociability. They shaped town centres and kept track of urban, sociological, professional and relational developments.
Heirs to the "chambrées" born under the July Monarchy, the circles represented the popular counterpart to the clubs, whose entrance fees were reserved for the elite.
They were designed to allow "the gathering of men of good company, wishing to meet, exchange and entertain themselves through news, magazines, books and games". These places thus shaped sociability in the provinces and served as echo chambers for the country's major developments.
Political or religious discussions were, however, monitored. As proof, when Var workers rose up against Napoléon in 1851, the circles were closed by prefectural decision.
Republican ideal
Despite this surveillance, the circles flourished in La Valette. The most famous of them, the Cercle des travailleurs, still exists on the current Place Léopold-Maurel and was purchased in 1912 thanks to the efforts of its members.
Others did not enjoy this posterity, particularly those whose Catholic-sounding names suggested less compatibility with the Republican ideal. This is the case of the Cercles Saint-Jean, Sainte-Madeleine, Saint-Joseph, Saint-Louis or Saint-Roch.
A meeting place for trades
The history of the circles also tells the story of connecting various trades, which is not unlike today's merchant associations, such as the APCV.
Owners, farmers, carters, wigmakers, ropemakers, basket makers, bakers, masons, painters and carpenters rubbed shoulders there, often for musical activities. La Valette-du-Var, which had up to six orpheonic societies, has moreover perpetuated this heritage with the creation of the Orchestre d’Harmonie de La Valette (OHV) in 2019.
A reinvented model for the future
What is the situation of the Cercle des travailleurs in 2026? After a slow decline in membership and very long presidential terms, the model had to be reinvented.
Mme Brissy took up the challenge by transforming the venue into a café and coworking space. She thus builds a bridge to the first workers who gathered within these walls, starting in 1881.
Contact
Le Cercle B (Facebook)
Article from the paper edition of La Gazette du Var