Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Tour de l'Horloge, located in Saint-Jean-d'Angély, is the only vestige of an old skein built between 1275 and 1277. This medieval building, symbol of communal power, housed the city's archives and served as a meeting place for the aldermen. The present tower, built between 1406 and 1410, replaced an earlier structure destroyed during the Hundred Years' War. It functioned as a belfry, its bell allowing to summon the members of the echevinage.

In 1765, the echevinage collapsed almost entirely, leaving only the tower, which was preserved. Ranked a historic monument by decree of 25 April 1892, it still bears the coat of arms of the city, although partially mutilated. Its position on a street, a rare characteristic, attested to the communal privilege of Saint-Jean-d.

The tower contained the archiving records and was the central centre of local civic life. Its architecture, marked by successive reconstructions in the 13th, 15th and 18th centuries, reflects the political and military upheavals of the region, including conflicts such as the Hundred Years War. Today, it remains a tangible testimony to the city's urban and institutional history.

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