Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Aquitaine Gate, located in Bordeaux on the Place de la Victoire, was built in the 2nd quarter of the 18th century to replace the ancient medieval gates deemed unaesthetic. Intendant Tourny wanted to erect a monument in the image of the greatness of Bordeaux, capital of Guyenne. The arch, inspired by the ancient triumphal arches, marked the symbolic and fiscal entrance of the city, at the location of the old gate Saint-Julien (1302), where the roads of Languedoc and Spain converged.


The construction began on 8 June 1748 under the direction of architect Portier, with sculptures made by Francin. The monument was named door of Aquitaine on 18 November 1753 in honour of the Duke of Aquitaine, second son of the Dauphin. Ornate with royal weapons and weapons of the city, it was carved in a stone of Saint-Macaire dew, with an arcade of 11 meters high. Its two side windows, abolished in 1902, were used in the past for tax control.


Ranked a historic monument in 1931, the door lost its original name after World War II to become the Victory Gate. It remains a major architectural symbol of Bordeaux, dominated by its marine decorations (places enlacing badges) and plant (fruits and flowers emerge from a cup). Its location formerly linked the Place d'Aquitaine (now Place de la Victoire) to a smaller square, via the street Entre-deux-places, along the old ramparts.

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