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Origin and history

The Tower of Ursulines, originally called the Tower of Prisoners or the Tour François I, is a medieval dungeon erected in the 12th century in Autun, Burgundy-Franche-Comté. It was an integral part of Riveau Castle (or Rivault), a fortress dismantled around 1600, of which it is the only significant vestige. Built on partially preserved Gallo-Roman foundations, this octagonal tower reuses earlier materials, although its current architectural features reflect more successive repairs than its original Romanesque style. Two significant elements of the 19th century added: a parapet bordering the upper terrace and a statue of the Virgin Mary, three metres high, carved by Claude Quarré and installed in 1862.

The Château Riveau, whose tower was the centrepiece, successively served as a 14th century ducal citadel, a residence at the bailli, and then a royal citadel administered by a governor. In the 15th century, it became both a fortress and a prison. During the religious wars, Autun, joined the Catholic League, resisted in 1591 a five-week siege led by the Marshal of Aumont. After the surrender of the city in 1595, the bourgeois obtained from King Henry IV the dismantling of the fortress (1595-1602), saving only the dungeon. In 1647, the tower and its surroundings were transferred to the Ursulines, who established a convent there dedicated to the education of girls until their expulsion in 1791.

Classified as a historic monument in September 1994, the tower is now a private property. Since 1997, it has been owned by Japanese painter Hisao Takahashi, who has made it an international cultural centre. Its architecture thus combines Gallo-Roman traces, medieval elements (such as the curved double windows) and modern additions, testifying to its evolution throughout the centuries. Confusion is sometimes made with another Visitandines convent, established in the 19th century near the cathedral, but without direct historical connection to the Ursulines or this tower.

The historical sources mention several notable owners of the castle, including Perreau de Varennes and Perrin Riveau, lord of Petit Montjeu, who owned two thirds in 1327. In the 17th century, after the dismantling, the Ursulines occupied the site until the Revolution, when the tower was seized as a national property and sold. The plots then changed hands several times before its contemporary restoration. The tower thus illustrates the political, religious and architectural transformations of Autun, from medieval times to modern times.

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