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Origin and history

The Pessan Gate Tower, located northwest of the village, marks the fortified entrance to the medieval enclosure. From a rectangular plane (5.20 m wide by 6.30 m long), it rises on three levels and opens with a broken arch on the ground floor. Built in limestone and bellows, with some sandstone elements, it illustrates the defensive architecture of the Middle Ages. Its pavilion roof, covered with hollow tiles, and its internal pan-wood partition (probably dating back to the 18th century) show successive changes.

The tower was originally used as a house for the guard to close doors every night, as well as in case of epidemics. The door, blocked by cross bars against the arc extrados, was a strategic control point. The tower underwent several modifications, including the construction of a staircase in the south wall (perhaps at the end of the Middle Ages), resulting in asymmetry in its structure. The arch of the door has recently been rebuilt, while the external trim shows traces of occasions at different times.

Classified as an additional inventory of historical monuments since 1973, the fortified gate of Pessan is a preserved example of medieval village fortifications. Although its precise dating (second half of the 13th century?) remains uncertain, its plan and characteristics make it a representative specimen of the gate towers open to the throat, typical of the region. Today owned by the municipality, it retains its protected facades and roofs, despite the transformations experienced over the centuries.

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