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Origin and history

The Roman castellam of Anse is a fortification built in the second half of the third century to house a military garrison. Located in the Bourg Nord district, west of the Azergues before its confluence with the Saône, its remains (courtesy bearings and towers) have been protected since 1926, 1935 and 1936. The path of the oval enclosure, along by current streets, reveals a modest area of 14,600 m2, suggesting a purely military vocation without significant civilian habitat.

The wall, 3 metres thick and 5 metres high, incorporates carved or engraved blocks of use. Eleven towers, spaced about 30 metres apart, reinforce the courtine, except at the gates (northwest and south-east) where they frame 15 metre openings. The construction technique combines two regular bellow trimmings, terracotta beds, and a filling of mortar-bound stones, without trace of bolt holes.

In the Middle Ages, the enclosure was partially reused for a larger fortification, with two additional breakthroughs: the "Dog Hole" (west) and the "Kat Hole" (northeast). The legal protections covered several sectors, including the southern wall (which was registered in 1926), vestiges classified in 1935, and a bulwark inscribed in the same year. No reference shall be made to civilian use or major modifications after this period.

Archaeological sources, such as the works of Odile Faure-Brac (2006), underline its role in the regional defensive arrangement during late antiquity. The site, referenced in the Mérimée base, remains accessible via streets such as Rue du Trou du Chien, although its GPS location is judged to be of medium accuracy (level 7/10).

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