Palais Lantivy, Neoclassical prefecture in central Ajaccio, France.
Palais Lantivy is a Neoclassical palace on Cours Napoléon in Ajaccio, built 1826–1830 to plans by Alphonse de Gisors. It has a rectangular plan, two floors and a facade flanked by two wings, with an atrium in the middle. The pale yellow facade with white stone trim stands behind tall black iron gates between square stone piers; a projecting entrance with a central double door under an arched fanlight is flanked by two tall arched windows above a low flight of stone steps, and six rectangular windows with white surrounds run across the upper floor.
Construction of this palace was ordered by royal decree in 1822 and realized between 1826 and 1830 following designs by architect Alphonse de Gisors. The project marked the modernization of Corsica's administrative infrastructure during the early 19th century.
The palace is named after Gabriel de Lantivy de Kerveno, Prefect of Corsica from 1824 to 1828 and the first French consul in Jerusalem. In May 1958 the leaders of the Committee of Public Safety, among them Jean-Robert Thomazo, occupied the building during Operation Resurrection and demanded General de Gaulle's return to power.
The palace stands on the Cours Napoléon, which ends at the Place de Gaulle with its statue of Napoleon and his four brothers; the cathedral is to the southeast and the Musée Fesch to the northeast. The prefecture is a working administrative office, so visitors see the facade and gates from the street rather than the interior.
The 2000–2002 works refurbished the facade, the main hall and the columned peristyle, and the roof was replaced in 2003; the original frescoes were restored in 2006. Inside, an office holds an arch painted with a fresco of Aurora in a horse-drawn chariot.
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