Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The walls of Philippe Auguste, built in Paris between 1190 and 1215, were the second medieval wall of the city and the first whose route is precisely known. Built to protect the capital from British attacks during the king's absence from the third crusade, it covered 253 hectares on both banks of the Seine, integrating trading districts such as the Champeaux and still unurbanized spaces. Its financing, partially provided by the Parisian bourgeois, reflects the strategic and economic importance of Paris, which became a major royal resident and cultural centre with the emergence of the University.

Construction began with the right bank (1190–1209), more exposed to threats, before the left bank (1200–1215), less priority. With a total length of 5,385 metres (2,850 m to the right, 2,535 m to the left), the enclosure consisted of a crenelated wall of 6 to 9 metres high, flanked by 73 semi-cylindrical towers and pierced by 14 main doors. Its route influenced urbanization for a long time, with streets backed by the rampart (such as rue Jean-Jacques-Rousseau) or traced on old ditches (rue des Fossés-Saint-Bernard).

Despite the subsequent construction of Charles V's compound (XIVth century), Philippe Auguste's was partly used, especially on the left bank. In the 16th century, its gradual dismantling began under Francis I, who authorized the rental and sale of the land. The ditches, transformed into open sewers, were filled in the seventeenth century, almost completely erasing the remains. Today, some 20 classified portions remain, often integrated into private properties, as at the 69–71 rue du Temple (3rd arr.), where the layout remains visible in the alignment of buildings.

The most notable remains include a courtine of 60 meters and a tower (tour Montgomery) in the 4th arrondissement, as well as visible fragments on Rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul or in the cellars of the hotel of Saint-Aignan. The enclosure illustrates the defensive and urban evolution of Paris, moving from a medieval fortress to an open city, while still marking the landscape with its architectural and topographical heritage.

Its financing included the royal fund (more than 7,000 pounds for the left bank) and bourgeois contributions, with compensation paid to expropriated owners, such as the bishop of Paris or the abbey Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Some bourgeois also financed specific works, such as the Barbette door, named after Étienne Barbette. The enclosure thus symbolizes the collaboration between royal power and urban elites to secure a capital in the midst of demographic and economic expansion.

External links