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Origin and history

The enclosure of Philippe Auguste, built between the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century (1190–1215), was the second medieval wall of Paris and the first whose route is precisely known. Commanded by King Philippe Auguste before his departure for the third crusade, it met a strategic imperative: to protect the capital from the attacks of the Plantagenets, whose territories then spread from Normandy to the Pyrenees. Unlike later fortifications (such as Charles V's), it did not have an initial external ditch, with the Parisian roads in the immediate vicinity.

Construction began with the right bank (1190–1209), more exposed to threats from the northwest, before extending to the left bank (1200–1215), less urbanized. With a total length of 5,385 metres (2,850 m on the right bank, 2,535 m on the left bank), the enclosure covered 253 hectares and housed approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Its financing was provided by the Royal Treasury (£7,020 for the left bank) and partly by the bourgeois of Paris, under the joint supervision of the latter and the royal provost. Landowners, such as the bishop of Paris or the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, were compensated for expropriated land.

The forum played a key role in the urban development of Paris. On the right bank, it structured the extension of the central districts, as evidenced by the biased streets (rue Jean-Jacques-Rousseau) or the axes perpendicular to the Seine (rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul). On the left bank, current streets (Fossés-Saint-Bernard, Monsieur-le-Prince) follow its ancient route. A symbol of royal power, she accompanied the rise of Paris as a political and cultural capital, with the establishment of colleges and the University, as well as the transfer of the fair of Saint-Ladre to the Champeaux district.

Architecturally, the 6 to 9 metre high wall, flanked by 73 semi-cylinder towers and pierced with 14 main doors, was designed to withstand seats. Four massive towers (25 m high) controlled river access via chains stretched over the Seine. The gates, like that of Saint-Honoré or Saint-Antoine, were defended by barbacans and harrows. Despite the construction of Charles V's enclosure in the 14th century, Philippe Auguste's was partly used, especially on the left bank, where it was reinforced by controlled ditches and floods.

The gradual disappearance of the enclosure began in the sixteenth century: Francis I demolished the doors in 1533, and the land was sold to private individuals, resulting in the dismantling of large sections. In the 17th century, unsanitary ditches were replaced by covered galleries. Today, some 20 remains, classified as historical monuments since 1889, remain integrated into buildings (45-47 rue Descartes, 17-21 rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul). These traces, often discreet, recall the lasting impact of this fortification on the Paris plan.

Among the remarkable elements, the section of rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul (4th arrondissement) retains a courtine of 60 meters and a partial tower, while cellars (7 rue de Sévigné) or street alignments (rue du Cardinal-Lemoine) betray its route. The enclosure thus illustrates the transition between a medieval city surrounded by walls and a modern metropolis, while symbolizing the affirmation of capetian power against the feudals and the English.

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