Embassy of France, Tunis explained

Embassy of France in Tunis
Location:Tunis, Tunisia
Address:2 Pl. de l'Indépendance, Tunis 1000, Tunisia
Ambassador:André Parant [1]

The Embassy of France in Tunis (French: Ambassade de France à Tunis) is France's diplomatic mission to Tunisia.

History

Léon Roches, French consul general in Tunis from 1855 to 1863, was granted the palatial complex of in La Marsa as his residence in 1857. Following an agreement with Bey Muhammad VI al-Habib in December 1859, he directed the construction of a large consulate building on the western approach to the Medina of Tunis, designed by engineer Philippe Caillat and inaugurated on . At the time, there were few buildings outside of the old city's walls.[2] The new building replaced the older French consulate building inside the Medina, which as of 2017 was still extant albeit in disrepair.[3]

Following the French conquest of Tunisia in 1881, the complex became the seat of the resident-general, the de facto governor of the French protectorate of Tunisia. In the 1890s, the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Vincent de Paul was built across the thoroughfare (now Avenue Habib Bourguiba) from the Residency. In 1904, the two pavilions flanking the entrance were rebuilt on a larger scale, after which the compound's layout has remained largely unchanged.[2]

Following Tunisian independence in 1956, it was repurposed as the Chancery of the newly established embassy. The square in front of the building, formerly known as the French: Place de la Résidence, was promptly renamed French: Place de l'Indépendance ("Independence Square").

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Anne Guéguen expected to head French embassy in Tunis. Archived on 24 Mart 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023
  2. Web site: webdo.tn . Petite histoire de l'ambassade de France à Tunis, plus ancien édifice de l'Avenue . Hatem Bourial . .
  3. Web site: webdo.tn . Scandale dans la médina : Portes défoncées, murs arrachés, le fondouk des Français menace ruine… . Hatem Bourial . .