Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The clock tower of Saint-Martin-de-Brômes, also called the Tower of the Templars although it had no connection with this order, is a donjon built in the 13th century by the Castellane family, local lords from 1227 to 1673. Built as a watchtower to assert their authority, it became a symbol of power after in 1343 Boniface de Castellane officially took possession of it by exchange with the land of Auriol. The tower successively served as an attic for seigneurial tax, as a dovecot, and was acquired by the commune in 1867 to install the municipal clock and its campanile.

Ranked a historic monument in 1921, the tower suffered major damage in 1930 during a storm, causing its bell crack and the destruction of a floor. Since 1972, it has been home to one of the smallest museums in France, exhibiting a Roman tomb of the fourth century (discovered in 1972) and a landmark of Emperor Carus, found in 1890. Its military architecture, with machicoulis and stonework, makes it an emblematic work of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

With a height of 24.5 metres, the tower is built on a rocky spur north of the village. Its facades feature bolt holes and anchors, while a clock adorns one of its faces, pierced by blind bays. The municipality was equipped with a lightning rod after the damage of 1930, and its ranking allowed its preservation despite its precarious condition reported in 1905.

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