Halle Jean Moulin, Medieval market hall in Grenade, France

Halle Jean Moulin is a square market hall measuring about 41 metres per side, built between 1582 and 1593. Its hipped terracotta roof rests on a timber frame carried by 36 octagonal pink brick columns, with dark beams and braces under the eaves. A wooden cloche-like bell tower with a clock face sits at the centre of the roof ridge.

The building was constructed between 1582 and 1593 by monks from Grand Selve Abbey using timber that dendrochronological studies date to 1293. This reuse of ancient wood reflects practices of that era when builders salvaged materials from earlier structures.

The hall is named after Jean Moulin, a French Resistance fighter. It remains Grenade's meeting place: the Saturday morning market, the annual Saint-Luc fair and summer dances are held here, as they have been for centuries.

The hall stands on Place du Commerce at the crossing of Rue Gambetta and Rue de la République, in the middle of the bastide grid. It is open on all sides between the brick pillars, so you can walk through at any hour. The Saturday morning market fills the paved floor; the annual Saint-Luc fair and summer balls also take place here.

The structure once housed a royal courtroom where judicial proceedings took place within the same space where traders worked. The 17th-century bell tower served a dual purpose as a watchtower, keeping watch over market activities below.