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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The town gate of Saint-Bertrand-de-Cominges is a stone structure, composed of a vault in the heart of two houses (parks B 492 and B 543). Its arch rests on a 19th century corbellation, identifiable thanks to the traces of a boucharde on crows. An engraved stone of 1661, mentioning a tax on fish, and a graffiti dated 1821 are visible on the left leg. Above the arch, an ancient stone and animal relief are embedded, while the central harpsichord carries an engraved cross. Traces of wooded masonry and walled doors attest to an ancient passage between the two houses.

According to Robert Gavelle's works, this door does not occupy the location of an ancient gate, but it is cited as the main gate of the city from the seventeenth century. The modifications of the 18th century, linked to the layout of the road along the bulwark above the ancient theatre, as well as the alterations of the 19th century (corbelling), shaped its present appearance. The adjacent houses, one of which had served as a bishop from 1617 and one of which had served as an official prison from 1733, were connected by a passage on the back of the door.

The building, inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1927, illustrates the architectural and urban evolution of Saint-Bertrand-de-Cominges, between defensive, religious (bishopric) and judicial (prison) functions. The carved elements (animal relief, cross) and the inscriptions (1661, 1821) testify to its continued use and its integration into the local historical fabric.

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