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Origin and history

The enclosure of Philippe Auguste, built between the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century, is the second urban fortification of Paris and the oldest whose route is precisely known. Commanded by King Philippe Auguste before his departure for the third crusade, it was designed to protect the capital from the attacks of the Plantagenets, whose territories then spread from Normandy to the Pyrenees. Unlike later fortifications, it was not equipped with external ditches, with the Parisian roads located nearby.

The construction began with the right bank (1190–1209), more exposed to threats, before extending to the left bank (1200–1215). With a total length of 5,385 metres (2,850 m on the right bank and 2,535 m on the left bank), it covered 253 hectares and housed approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Its financing was provided by the Royal Treasury (in particular £7,020 for the left bank) and partly by the bourgeois of Paris, under the joint supervision of the latter and the Royal Provost. Semi-cylindrical towers (73 in total) and fortified doors, such as the Saint-Honoré gate or the Saint-Antoine gate, punctuated his journey.

The forum played a key role in the urban development of Paris. It included peripheral villages such as the Champeaux district (future Halles) or the village of Sainte-Geneviève, promoting demographic and economic expansion. At the beginning of the 14th century, Paris became the largest city in medieval Europe with 250,000 inhabitants. The enclosure was adapted to new siege techniques in the 15th century (castle, barbacan, controlled floods), but its progressive demolition began under Francis I (1533) to facilitate urbanization. Today, its remains, classified as historical monuments since 1889, are visible in streets such as rue d'Arras (5th) or the Rose Gardens.

The layout of the enclosure had a lasting impact on the Paris plan. On the right bank, streets such as Jean-Jacques-Rousseau or Saint-Honoré followed its alignment, while on the left bank, arteries such as the streets of Fossés-Saint-Bernard or Monsieur-le-Prince took the location of its old ditches. Four river towers (tour du Coin, tour de Nesle, tour Barbeau, tournelle des Bernardins) controlled navigation on the Seine via chains. Despite its almost total disappearance after the 17th century, portions remain, integrated into private buildings or public spaces, such as the Charlemagne High School (4th) or the Cour du Crédit municipal (4th).

Among the outstanding architectural elements, the wall, 6 to 9 metres high and 4 to 6 metres thick, was crenelated and equipped with a round road. The 73 semi-cylindrical towers, spaced 40 to 110 metres apart, served as defence points without arches, while the main doors, such as the Saint-Denis Gate or the Saint-Marcel Gate, were flanked by 15 metres high towers. Poternes, added in the 13th century to respond to urban growth, complemented this system. The enclosure thus illustrates the evolution of medieval military techniques and the adaptation of Paris to its status as a political and cultural capital.

The present, though fragmentary, remains offer a unique testimony of this period. Among the accessible sites, the 60-metre stretch between Rue Charlemagne and Rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul (4th) includes a restored tower and a courtine with tasker marks. Other indirect traces, such as the orientation through Soufflot Street (5th) or the narrowness of 7 bis boulevard Saint-Germain (6th), recall its route. These relics, often unknown, underline the historical importance of the enclosure in the formation of modern Paris, between military heritage and urban development.

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