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Origin and history

The Vannes Prison Gate, integrated with the city walls, is a defensive work dating back to the 13th century during the reign of Duke John II. Originally named door Saint-Patern, it was strengthened in the 14th century by John IV with the addition of a drawbridge, a poterne and a barbacan. Its Breton mâchicoulis and cannons, added in the 15th and 16th centuries, reflect the adaptation to the progress of artillery. The door derives its present name from its use as a prison during the Revolution, where refractory priests and royalists, such as the General Staff of the emigrants of Quiberon (1795), were imprisoned.

Partly destroyed in 1886 to expand a street, its total demolition, envisaged in 1911, caused the mobilization of the inhabitants. The creation of the Société des Amis de Vannes allowed the acquisition by the municipality and its classification at the Historical Monuments in 1912, marking the beginning of a policy of preserving the ramparts. The gate, restored several times (notably in 2010-2012), today symbolizes the resistance of the valve heritage to urban transformations.

Architecturally, the Prison Gate consists of a round granite tower flanked by a rectangular building body, with a broken arched carriageway door and a chicane pedestrian passage. Its high parts, enhanced under Jean V, housed a double drawbridge system. A marteled shield at the Revolution, probably with the arms of Brittany, bears witness to his Ducal past. The south tower, partially demolished in the 19th century, has given way to a building, but its base and exterior trim remain.

Integrated with a wider defensive network, the gate is part of the turbulent history of Vannes, marked by the Breton conflicts (war of Succession, wars of the League) and urban developments of the 17th and 18th centuries. Its rescue at the beginning of the 20th century illustrates the heritage awareness, while its recent restorations (seam, masonry) make it an accessible place for the public, anchored in the protected area of the old town.

The Prison Gate is inseparable from the walls of Vannes, three quarters of which are still preserved. These fortifications, initiated in the Roman period (IVth century) and rebuilt until the 17th century, played a key role in defending the city, especially during medieval sieges and the wars of Religion. Their progressive protection (classifications from 1912 to 1958) and their development (gardens, exhibitions) made it a tourist and identity symbol for Brittany.

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