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Origin and history

The Porte de la Saunerie, located in the old centre of Manosque (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), is a fortified door in Romanesque style completed in 1382. It was the southern entrance to the medieval walls of the city. Its name would come from its proximity to Rue Saunerie, a place where salt was stored and where pigs were slaughtered, as indicated by its provencal etymology saunarie (abattoir). These activities, often smelly, were relegated to the periphery of medieval towns near tanners' quarters.

The defensive structure of the door includes a central body flanked by two assommoirs and two side turrets crowned with mâchicoulis. Under its arch, the ground has four golden hands, a heraldic symbol of Manosque evoking its status as an "open city". Classified as a historical monument by decree of 12 July 1886, it now belongs to the commune. Its architecture reflects the military and urban concerns of the 14th century, while at the same time reflecting the socio-economic uses of the period, such as the salt trade and slaughter.

The Porte de la Saunerie is part of a set of four doors (with those of the Soubeyran, Guillempierre and d'Aubette) that rhythmized access to the historic heart of Manosque. Unlike others, like the door of Aubette destroyed in the 20th century to facilitate car traffic, it has been preserved and remains a major vestige of the medieval Provencal heritage. Its current state makes it possible to study urban fortification techniques and the spatial organization of southern cities in the Middle Ages.

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