Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Desnos Tower is a medieval tower located in Fougères, part of the urban enclosure of the town-neuf. Built in the early 15th century, it belonged to the city's northern ramparts, partly protected by the old Rillé pond. Positioned between the Montfromery tower and the location of the (disappeared) Cardinale tower, it reinforced the defence of the north side of the plateau where Fougères developed, in connection with the Porte de Rillé, destroyed in 1775. Its name comes from Colin Desnos, a local bourgeois whose house was next to the wall.

From the 16th century, the tower lost its defensive function after Brittany joined France. It is then transformed into a prison, accessible by the rue de la Prison (current rue de la Pinterie). The ground floor housed dungeons and the jailer's housing, while the upper floor included a chapel and cells separated by sex. Insalubrious and small, the prison was replaced in 1829 by a new prison. Sold to private individuals, the tower is integrated into a 19th century shoe factory, serving as a warehouse before being restored after the closure of the industrial site.

Architecturally, the horse-drawn iron tower, built of corneal and granite bellows, rises on three original floors. Its granite mâchicoulis and archères detailed in cannon guns reflect its adaptation to artillery. Exhausted in the industrial era and then restored, it was listed as historical monuments in 1926. Today, it is privately owned and serves as a residence after being freed from the industrial buildings that surrounded it.

The departmental archives of Ille-et-Vilaine conserve historical plans of the tower, testifying to its evolution. Its inscription in 1926 covers only the main structure (cadastre A 467), located alley of the Vaux. The tower thus illustrates the changes in a defensive work in civil space, marking the urban and industrial history of Fougères.

External links