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Origin and history

The Irissou Gate in Puycelsi is a key element of the medieval city walls built between the 13th and 16th centuries. These stone fortifications surrounded Puycelsi, with an inner round road and seven flanking towers, three of which disappeared on the west side. The gate, consisting of two towers connected by an arc, marked the north access to the city, while a second gate, now disappeared, existed to the south (Navistour).

In the 13th century, Puycelsi was under the authority of Simon de Montfort, then the King of France and the Count of Toulouse, Raymond VII. The ramparts were partially modified or destroyed in the 19th century to give way to a road. A small isolated fort, dating from 1610, precedes the first gate of the Irrissou. The second gate and its towers have been protected as Historic Monument since 1950, and belong to the commune.

The fortifications reflect the strategic importance of Puycelsi, a town initially dependent on the Abbey of Aurillac in the 12th century. Their architecture, with towers and a stone arch, illustrates medieval defensive techniques adapted to the conflicts of the time, especially during the Albigois Crusade. The door of Irrissou, the only survivor of the two original accesses, bears witness to this turbulent history.

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