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Origin and history

The Clock Gate, originally called Gastinel Gate, was built in the 13th century as the main entrance to Vire, then encircled with walls. It was part of the strengthened fortifications under William the Conqueror after the Norman invasions, in a region that became a strategic place for the Dukes of Normandy. Originally a simple local stone town gate (granodiorite and shale), it was protected by a ditch, a drawbridge and a hers, reflecting the defensive importance of the medieval city.

In 1480, under the impulse of the bourgeois of Vire, the door was raised from a level to accommodate a belfry symbolizing the independence of the city. A public clock and its bell were installed there in 1499, transforming the building into a civic and practical symbol. The belfry, with a balustrade and a hexagonal lantern in the Renaissance, peaks at 33 meters, offering a panoramic view of the virois bocage to monitor enemy approaches.

The Clock door also housed a statue of the Virgin with the inscription "Mary protects the city", as well as the carved municipal coat of arms. Despite the massive destruction of Vire during the Second World War (93% of the city was razed in June 1944), the building partially survived. The bombings, however, damaged its coronations, its pepper roofs, and destroyed the original bell of 1499. A memorial to the victims of June 6, 1944 was inaugurated in 1960 in the South Tower.

Ranked a historic monument in 1886, the Clock Gate today embodies Vire Normandie's resilient heritage. She was even immortalized on a postal stamp in 1967, visible in the film Baisers stolen from Truffaut. Although closed to the public in normal times, it hosts temporary exhibitions, such as the one planned in 2025 on the Tour de France in Vire.

The building, built in granodiorite and local shale, illustrates the architectural evolution of urban doors: first defensive (XIII century), then symbolic and utilitarian (XV century with the clock), before becoming a memorial. His design adorns even the Paris Saint-Lazare station, testifying to his anchoring in Norman collective imagination.

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