Théâtre d'Autun, Theatre building in Autun, France

The Théâtre d'Autun is a 19th-century theatre building on avenue Charles-de-Gaulle, erected from 1881 to 1884 as a new salle des fêtes combined with the grain hall, on the site of the former hôtel d'Aligny bought by the town. Its pale stone facade rises three storeys, topped by sculpted figures and a central pediment carved with the word THEATRE. A stone-balustraded balcony with three flagpoles fronts three arched windows, and three round-arched doorways with purple doors open at street level.

Autun's first performance hall was fitted out in 1763 in the former refectory of the cathedral chapter at the request of the provincial intendant Villeneuve; the chapter reclaimed the room the following year. A hall planned beside the hôtel Saint-Louis et de la Poste, rue de l'Arbalète, was abandoned for lack of materials. The town's hall was finally built south of the Champ-de-Mars in 1779, four years late, probably for lack of funds, on plans by the sub-engineer Antoine, and was combined with a grain market. Deteriorating within a decade, it was demolished in 1875; construction of the present building began in 1881 and lasted three years, also on the site of the former hôtel d'Aligny bought by the town. It has been inscribed as a monument historique since 12 September 1991.

The building is a 19th-century theatre, not a Roman one: a hall built from 1881 to 1884, three years of work, on the site of the former hôtel d'Aligny bought by the town, and combined with the grain market hall. Its facade carries the carved word THEATRE above three purple doors.

The theatre stands on avenue Charles-de-Gaulle in Autun, its stone facade facing the street. The three purple doors of the ground-floor arcade are the entrance points, with notices posted beside them; the balcony and its three arched windows sit on the level above. The building is inscribed as a monument historique, so visits concern the exterior and the hall rather than excavated seating.

The building was erected in 1881–1884 as a new salle des fêtes, replacing a theatre demolished in 1875, and it also took the site of the former hôtel d'Aligny bought by the town. It has been inscribed as a monument historique since 12 September 1991.