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Origin and history

The Jean-sans-Peur tower, located at 20 rue Étienne-Marcel in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, was built between 1409 and 1411 by Jean I of Burgundy, dit Jean sans Peur. This dungeon, with slots and mâchicoulis, symbolized its power in front of its rivals, notably Louis d'Orléans, whom it had murdered in 1407. The tower also served as a stairway serving the wings of the now extinct Hotel de Bourgogne and offered a discreet exit to Philippe Auguste's abandoned enclosure.

The monument is part of a civil war between Armagnacs and Bourguignons, triggered after the assassination of Louis d'Orléans. Jean sans Peur, fearing reprisals, strengthened his presence in Paris with this tower, which housed heated safety rooms and equipped with innovative latrines for the time. His son, Philip the Good, inherited these tensions before joining England after John's death without Fear in 1419.

Rediscovered in 1866 when Étienne-Marcel Street was drilled, the tower was classified as a historic monument in 1884 and restored in 1893. Today, it is home to remarkable remains: a spiral staircase inspired by the Louvre de Charles V, plant decorations (chêne, hops, aubépine), and a reconstruction of the medieval latrines, the oldest in Paris. Since 1999, it has been open to the public.

The tower was the ultimate trace of the hotel of Burgundy, built at the end of the 13th century by Robert II d'Artois and then inherited by the Dukes of Burgundy. After the death of Charles the Temerary in 1477, François I offered a part of the estate, including the tower, to Diegue de Mandosse — hence his alternative name of hotel of Mandosse. The building fell into disuse before its rediscovery in the 19th century.

Its architecture reflects a dual function: defensive dungeon affirming the ducal power, and practical staircase linking the wings of the hotel and the rampart of Philippe Auguste. Decorative elements, such as the plank (the emblem of Jean sans Peur opposed to the club of Orléans), and innovative techniques (inner latrines) testify to his role both political and domestic in medieval Paris.

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