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Origin and history

The Château de La Tour aux Salles-du-Gardon, built in the 13th century, is part of a network of medieval signal towers established on the hills between Alès and Sainte-Cécile-d-Andorge. These constructions, including two square towers with arched arches, were probably used for monitoring and communication. The Tower of Salles-du-Gardon, accompanied by a chapel, once depended on the hamlet of La Tour, attached to the commune in 1825 after having belonged to Laval. The remains of a fortified gate, with a cradle vault, still remain on the access road.

The tower was likely integrated into a larger defensive complex, including a nearby church. Its architecture, typical of the 13th century, reflects the military techniques of the period: thick walls, narrow arches and square structure. These strategically distributed signal towers were used to control movements in this mountainous and forested Gard area. Their exact role (defensive, observatory or symbolic) remains partially interpreted, but their arrangement suggests a coordinated organization.

Ranked as a historical monument in 1963, the ruins of the tower (Cadastre E 638) are now owned by the municipality. Their state of conservation, though partial, offers evidence of local defence systems in the Middle Ages. The location, near the present rue des Rouges-Georges, confirms its anchoring in the historical landscape of the Cevennes Gardoises, between Languedocian and Provencal influences.

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