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Key figures

Origin and history

The fortifications of Selles-sur-Cher originated in a first enclosure built at the request of Thibault I, Count of Blois nicknamed the Tricheur, during the second half of the 10th century. These first defences were destroyed, but a Gate aux Renards was already mentioned in an act of 1140, attesting to its early role in the defensive system of the city. These remains bear witness to a strategic occupation on the banks of the Cher, linked to feudal tensions of the time.

In 1372, new fortifications were built under the impulse of Godemart Delinières, comprising thick walls of 2 meters, flanked by 6 towers (alternatively square and horseshoe), three main doors accompanied by chapels dedicated to Notre-Dame, three secondary doors and three dreaded. Together, there were 20 metres wide ditches. The Fox Gate, a square tower made of stone masonry, was equipped with a harrow and pierced by three killers on the Cher side. Its narrowness made it easily defensible by few men.

The gate, classified as a Historical Monument in 1946, was destroyed between 21 and 22 January 1947. Prior to its disappearance, it was one of the last testimonies of the medieval fortifications of Selles-sur-Cher, marked by their adaptation to the conflicts of the fourteenth century. Its upper part had been abrased, and its facade on the Cher kept traces of its defensive use. No trace of drawbridge was found in the sources.

The fortifications of the 14th century reflected the military needs of the period, in a context where the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) reinforced the importance of strongholds in the Loire Valley. Selles-sur-Cher, located on a strategic axis between Blois and the Berry, thus benefited from a defensive system designed to withstand the sieges and control river access. The destruction of the Fox Gate in the 20th century deprived the city of a key element of its medieval heritage.

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