Porte Saint Gilles de Pernes-les-Fontaines dans le Vaucluse

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Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Porte Saint-Gilles is one of the fortified entrances to the walls of Pernes-les-Fontaines, built in the 14th century. Located south of the enclosure, it connected the city centre to the road of La Roque-sur-Pernes via the hamlet of Saint-Gilles. This door, the oldest in the city, still keeps on the floor a room dedicated to the manipulation of the harrow, testifying to its defensive role.

The walls of Pernes-les-Fontaines, including the Porte Saint-Gilles, were strengthened in 1320 when the commune became the capital of Comtat Venaissin. These medieval fortifications replaced an older first-century enclosure. The Porte Saint-Gilles, classified as a Historic Monument since 15 November 1913, illustrates the strategic importance of the city at that time.

Unlike other gates of the ramparts, such as the Porte Notre-Dame (XVIth century) or Porte Villeneuve (registered in 1922), the Porte Saint-Gilles is distinguished by its seniority and partial conservation status. Today it is owned by the commune and remains a notable vestige of medieval military architecture in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

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