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Key figures

Origin and history

Philippe Auguste's enclosure is a defensive system built in Paris between the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Commanded by King Philippe Auguste before his departure for the third crusade, this stone wall was designed to protect the capital from the attacks of the Plantagenes, especially since Normandy. With a total length of 5,385 metres (2,850 m on the right bank and 2,535 m on the left bank), it covered 253 hectares and housed approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Its route, still partially visible today, structured the medieval urban development of Paris, with streets like Jean-Jacques-Rousseau or Les Fossés-Saint-Bernard following its route.

The construction began on the right bank (1190–1209), considered more vulnerable to attacks from the northwest, and continued on the left bank (1200–1215). The financing, estimated at over 15,000 pounds, was provided by the Royal Treasury and partly by the Parisian bourgeois. The enclosure consisted of a crenelated wall of 6 to 9 meters high, flanked by 73 semi-cylindrical towers and pierced 14 main doors. Four massive towers at the ends (turn of the Corner, tower of Nesle, tower Barbeau, tournelle Saint-Bernard) made it possible to control navigation on the Seine via chains.

The enclosure played a key role in the expansion of Paris, integrating trading districts such as the Champeaux (future Halles) and university spaces on the left bank. In the 14th century, although partially replaced by Charles V's enclosure on the right bank, it remained in use on the left bank until the 16th century. Its ditches, transformed into sewers, were gradually filled, and its doors demolished in the seventeenth century to facilitate traffic. Today, some 20 remains, classified as historical monuments since 1889, remain in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th arrondissements.

Among the remarkable elements are a courtyard of 60 meters rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul (4th arrondissement), including a tower called Montgommery, as well as visible portions of rue du Jour (1st arrondissement) or rue Charlemagne. Indirect traces include street alignments (rue des Fossés-Saint-Jacques) or buildings backed by the old wall (rue Soufflot). The enclosure also illustrates the evolution of defensive techniques: ditches added in the 14th century, barbacans, and inner round paths for artillery.

Its urban heritage persists in axes such as Rue Saint-Honoré, initially backed by the rampart, or streets through the Marais, reflecting its convex route. Although less visible than the boulevards from the later enclosures (Charles V, Farmers Générals), its imprint shaped medieval Paris, making it the most populated city in Europe (250 000 inhabitants in the 14th century) and a major political and cultural centre.

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