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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Jacquemart Tower is a 30-metre high clock tower built in the 15th century in Moulins (Allier). Initially surmounted by an arrow and gargoyles, it symbolized medieval urban freedoms. Its name comes from the jacquemarts automatons (mechanical characters striking the bells), which appeared in the fourteenth century. These figures, often made of wood or metal, represented watchmen or artisans, such as the locksmiths named Jacquemart.

The current construction began between 1452 and 1455, financed by a special tax raised by John II of Bourbon. The tower housed a unique painted iron automaton, accompanied by a sundial and lunar. In 1455, an Orléans slate needle and armored banners ran the building. The bell, melted by Robert Bresmant, bore the arms of the Duke, the Duchess and the city.

A fire ravaged the tower in 1655, leaving only its stone structure. The reconstruction of 1656 introduced a family of lead-covered wooden automatons: Jacquemart, Jacquette (his wife), and their children Jacquelin and Jacqueline. These figures, dressed in 17th century fashion, struck three recast bells (one of which was 4.2 tons sponsored by Anne of Austria). The tower was then capped with an octagonal lantern.

The Revolution destroyed the sommital royal crown. Ranked a historic monument in 1929, the tower underwent a new fire in 1946, caused by Bengal fires during the Liberation celebrations. The reconstruction (1946–1949) faithfully reproduced the earlier architecture, with red copper automatons and a modern watchmaking mechanism. Today, the tower is visited and remains a symbol of Moulins.

Architecturally, the pink sandstone tower combines a medieval base and a baroque upper part. The belfry houses a staircase with screws, a vaulted room once commercial, and a balustrade belvedere decorated with the cross anchored in Moulins. The 2.20 m diameter dial, replaced in the 19th century, dominates the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville.

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