Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château des Tours, located in Anse in the Rhone, was built in the 1st quarter of the 13th century (between 1213 and 1218) by Archbishop-count Renaud de Forez to strengthen the defences of the seigneury of the Church of Lyon in front of the Sires of Beaujeu. Located south of the Gallo-Roman urban enclosure of Anse, it embodies a medieval "remarkable example of military architecture", as confirmed by its classification to historical monuments in 1987. Its plan in "nanny pin" (44 m long), flanked by two towers at the ends, and its 13th century height — the oldest preserved in elevation in France — testify to an exceptional architectural homogeneity.

The construction took place in three distinct phases between 1213 and 1218. The first saw the construction of the cylindrical dungeon (23 m high), equipped with a vaulted room with vegetal motifs, followed by a semicircular tower to the north, connected by courtines. The third phase added a two-storey central building body. These works were part of a vast plan to modernize the Lyon defences, the castle serving both as a fortress and as a symbol of episcopal power.

In the 14th century, the castle was looted by the Tard-Venus (1364), but the damage was limited to the structures, quickly repaired. As early as the 15th century, he lost his military role to become a residence, with developments such as breakthrough bays and elevations. The town hall (until 1969) and a gendarmerie were later built up to a Lyon bourgeois in 1660. The restorations from the 1980s to 2020 brought to light heavy roads, round roads, and coatings from the 16th to 17th centuries, while preserving its medieval character.

The Château des Tours is now open to the public and hosts exhibitions. Its 13th century hurdles, its Gallo-Roman mosaic of the 1st century (discovered in 1843), and its archaeology dedicated to local heritage make it a major cultural site. Ranked as a historical monument, it illustrates the evolution of a fortress in a place of memory, while preserving unique elements such as its fixed 13th century hound, rare vestige in France.

Future

Renovated in 2008, the castle now has a small archaeological museum.

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