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Origin and history

The Gallo-Roman rampart of Bourges is a monumental fortification built around the middle of the fourth century AD, during late antiquity. Built in response to the major invasions and to redefine the urban space, this 2.1-2.5-km, dillipse-shaped enclosure protected a 25-hectare complex. Its stones, from the use of first-century buildings (like a public monumental complex), highlight methodical reuse. There were about 50 fortified towers and three main gates (Lyon, Gordaine, Auron), without a ditch, to which the "New Gate" was later added to the north.

The foundations, 6 metres deep and 6 to 8 metres wide, supported turrets in limestone bellows alternated with rows of bricks. The towers, 10 to 10.5 metres wide, had vaulted floors and windows at the upper level, although their top remained undetermined. A semicircular tower, re-used as a church apse in the Middle Ages, illustrates this adaptation. The internal walls, described in 1561 by Joris Hoefnagel, revealed a horizontal chaining of bricks strengthening the structure.

The enclosure was replaced in the 12th century by a new wall, under the impulse of Archbishop Pierre de La Châtre, who partially demolished the courtesines to integrate foothills. The remains, excavated in the 19th century by Jules Dumoutet, were classified between 1882 and 1964, then registered in 1996. Today, visible sections remain on Rue des Trois Maillets, rue Molière, and along the promenade of the ramparts, while elements are preserved under Saint-Étienne Cathedral or Town Hall.

The construction of the rampart coincides with a major urban overhaul, including a portico, a retaining wall and galleries. Its abandonment in the 12th century is part of the defensive evolution of Bourges, with the reuse of its stones for medieval monuments such as the cathedral or the Jacques-Coeur Palace. The excavations of the 1980s allowed its transformation into a public promenade, reconciling preservation and enhancement.

Among the notable discoveries, a first-century fresco, probably representing Dionysos, was exhumed in 1974 in a courtine on Rue des Trois Maillets. This fragmented wall panel, reassembled on a support of 121.5 x 107.5 cm, reveals plant and symbolic motifs (thyrses, chalice), testifying to Gallo-Roman art. The foundations, often preserved despite the medieval destructions, attest to the initial solidity of the work.

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