Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Porte Vantourneux is a military building composed of three building bodies: a central building on a floor, framed by two pavilions on the ground floor. Its city-side facade combines brick and blue limestone from Tournai, while the country-side facade, surmounted by a curved pediment, is entirely white limestone. The roofs, with long sections and broken rumps, as well as the stone windows, highlight its sober and functional architectural style. The arched brick passage, covered with arched vaults, bears witness to its original defensive vocation.

The construction of the gate took place between 1678, the date of the connection of Condé-sur-l'Escaut to France by the Treaty of Nijmegen, and 1692, the year when it appeared on a plan of the fortifications of the city. It was erected simultaneously at an infantry barracks (IA59004415), located on bastion 17, crossing the road leading to Tournai. Although the date of 1707, engraved on a door flap, is often associated with its construction, it actually corresponds to the laying of the wooden door closing the passage. Originally named after the road to Tournai, it was renamed Vantourneux Gate in the late 19th or early 20th century, in tribute to Baron de Vautourneux, captain of the guards mortally wounded during the siege of Condé in 1655.

After centuries of military use, the gate was ceded to the city in 1953 by the administration of the Estates, then in a state of abandonment and deprived of its roof, as evidenced by photographs of 1957. Its restoration, carried out in the 1970s under the supervision of the Historical Monuments, saved the building, although the sculpture of the country side pediment was not reconstructed. After sheltering the tourist office, the Vantourneux Gate is today without any specific assignment, but remains a major testimony of the fortified history of the region.

Ranked a Historical Monument by order of 20 September 1935, the gate includes the central body with its vaulted passage and the two side pavilions. Its exact location, 16 Place Rombault in Condé-sur-l'Escaut (code Insee 59153), makes it a key element of the heritage of Hauts-de-France, linked to the history of the Franco-Spanish conflicts and the evolution of the borders of the Kingdom of France.

External links