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Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux en Gironde

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Patrimoine urbain
Porte-de-ville
Gironde

Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux

    Rue Porte-Dijeaux
    33000 Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Porte Dijeaux de Bordeaux
Crédit photo : Jean-Louis Lascoux - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Antiquité
Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
400
500
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
IVe siècle
Original Roman Gate
XIVe siècle
Medieval reconstruction
1650
Seat during the Fronde
1748-1753
Current construction
2 juin 1921
Historical Monument
2022
Last renovation
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Porte Dijeaux (or Dauphine) (not cadastre): by order of 2 June 1921

Key figures

André Portier - Architect Manufacturer of the current door (1748-1753).
Claude-Clair Francin - Sculptor Author of decorations and trophies.
Intendant Tourny - Sponsor Initiator of Bordeaux beautifications.
Camille Jullian - History Theory on Roman origin (*Porta Jovia*).
Abbé Baurein - Local historian Theory on Jewish origin (*porta deus Judias*).

Origin and history

The Porte Dijeaux is an ancient fortified gate of Bordeaux, rebuilt in the 2nd quarter of the 18th century (1748-1753) under the impulse of Intendant Tourny to embellish the city. It replaces a 14th century medieval gate, itself succeeding a Roman opening of the 4th century called porta Jovia (Jupiter Gate), located at the western end of the decumanus. The current version, designed by architect André Portier and decorated by Claude-Clair Francin, is part of Bordeaux's neo-classical urban planning project, with carved trophies and royal symbols (arms of France) and local (arms of Bordeaux).

His name, attested in various forms (Dijeu, Digaus), is debated: Abbé Baurein sees there a reference to the medieval Jewish quarter (porta deus Judias), while Camille Jullian proposes a Gallo-Roman origin linked to the temple of Jupiter (Porta Jovis), deformed into gascon (de Jòu). The gate played a defensive role, notably during the Fronde in 1650, where it resisted twelve days to the royal troops after the occupation of the Faubourg Saint-Seurin.

Ranked a historic monument in 1921, the Dijeaux Gate is now isolated, deprived of its side pedestrian windows removed after the Revolution. Built of Frontenac stone (recognizable to its shell sediments), it was renovated in 1971 and then in 2022. It marks the culmination of the Dijeaux Street on Gambetta Square (former Dauphine Square), highlighting the historical axis of the Roman decumanus.

The 14th century medieval gate, situated between two round towers and protected by a merlon in half moon, was destroyed in 1746 to give way to the present monument. Francin's decorations include military trophies, Bordeaux weapons, and a Neptune head surrounded by sea calves, symbolizing the city's link with the sea and the river.

Its evolution reflects the urban expansion of Bordeaux: first integrated with the ramparts, it became a decorative element after the demolition of the fortifications. The Revolution removed its vantals and windows, which were rendered obsolete by the abolition of grants. Today it bears witness to the historical strata of the city, from antiquity to the eighteenth century.

External links