Place Chaulan

Jean-Baptiste Chaulan was born in Marseille on the 24^th of august 1798. When he was 11, he was taken in and raised by his sister, Baptistine Bouteuil, who lived in Aubagne at chemin de Riquet. Jean-Baptiste then started an apprenticeship in a carpenter’s workshop nearby and soon became a skilful worker himself. In 1826, he sailed to the Canary Islands and arrived at Tenerife. He was hired as a carpenter and became a thriving craftsman. He married to a Spanish woman, Antoinette-Eulalie Jaisne.

As he felt his life was coming to an end, he wrote his will on the 24^th of april 1864. He spared money for his wife and gave 25,000 francs to his employees and their children. He also donated 4,000 francs for the Santa Cruz hospital and deposited 40,000 francs in the Bank of France. The interests of this deposit were meant to be used each year as a dowry for a poor and virtuous woman from Aubagne, called “la Rosière”. In return, she had to promise to decorate Chaulan’s grave with flowers. Back to Marseille for business matters, he died on the 31^st of July 1864. Between 1875 and 1948, 59 Rosières benefited from Jean-Baptiste Chaulan’s generosity.

The town council has paid tribute several times to its benefactor. In January 1882, it changed the name of rue Ganteaume into rue Chaulan, then in 1911 place Villeneuve became place Chaulan. At that time, the former sculpture of the fountain was replaced by a bust of the carpenter, sculpted by Jules Conte.