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Origin and history

The Tower of the Rondes, located in Lavaur in the department of Tarn (Occitanie), is the only remaining vestige of the old fortifications of the city. Built before the 12th century in brick, this circular tower was part of the city's protective ramparts, particularly on the south side, overlooking the ditches leading to Naridelle Creek. This natural ravine, levelled at the end of the 18th century, once forced travellers between Toulouse and Castres to cross Lavaur, reinforcing its strategic role.

The tower played a key role in the siege of Lavaur by Simon IV de Montfort during the Albigois Crusade against Catharism. After the Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the war between the Kingdom of France and the County of Toulouse, the walls of Lavaur were dismantled by order of Raymond VII of Toulouse, then rebuilt to protect themselves from the attacks of the Anglo-Gascon troops of Black Prince Edward of Woodstock. These reconstructions were aimed at countering frequent looting in the region.

In 1627, the tower, then very damaged, was completely renovated, adopting its present structure with openings for musketry. In the 17th century, a project of transformation into a slaughterhouse (tuadou) failed due to lack of funding, and it became a stable. In the 19th century, dubbed "Tower of the executioner" (in reference to the guillotine preserved in Lavaur during the Revolution), it served first as a stable, then as a "public slaughter" for the slaughter of pigs from the 1830s until the construction of a municipal slaughterhouse in 1871.

Acquired by the municipality in 1826, the tower later housed utensils of public weight (1879) before being entrusted to a philharmonic society. Between 1986 and 1988, new repairs were undertaken. Since 1992, it has hosted the Lavaur Tourist Office and an art exhibition hall. Since 18 February 1971, it has been a symbol of the city's turbulent history, between medieval conflicts and modern adaptations.

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