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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The tower of Plaisance, located in Lagrasse in the department of Aude (Occitanie), is the only preserved vestige of the old fortified enclosure of the village, built between the 12th and 15th centuries. It stands out from the walls of the neighbouring abbey and marks the location of the medieval fortifications that protected the town. The ditches initially surrounding the city, mentioned in early 14th century documents, were gradually converted into gardens and orchards before being restored in 1359, when defences were strengthened at the beginning of the Hundred Years War.

The tower has been listed as historic monuments since May 20, 1930, with the remains of contiguous ramparts. These fortifications, now partially extinct, remain only along the river. The Plaisance Tower thus illustrates the evolution of local defensive systems, adapted to the conflicts of the time, while at the same time testifying to the urban history of Lagrasse, marked by the coexistence of a village enclosure and a fortified abbey.

There is no record of the identity of the tower sponsors or builders, but its role was clearly defensive in a regional context marked by the tensions of the Hundred Years War. The ramparts, now reduced to a portion along the river, recall the strategic importance of Lagrasse, situated on a traffic axis between the Corbières and the Audoise plain. The tower, with its inscription to the heritage, remains a symbol of this turbulent medieval past.

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