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Origin and history

The twelfth century tower, also called the dungeon of Saint-Paul-de-Vence or the tower of the Town Hall, is the last vestige of the ancient feudal castle built between the late 11th and early 12th centuries. The working stones visible in its base attest to this first phase of construction. At that time, the feudal system was imposed in Provence, and the village developed around this tower, which served as both seigneurial housing, watchtower and symbol of authority. The castrum of Saint Paul was mentioned at the beginning of the thirteenth century, when seigneurial rights belonged to a chivalry family with the same name.

In 1227, the Count of Provence Raymond-Béranger V granted communal franchises to the inhabitants of Saint Paul, marking a stage in local autonomy. The current tower, archaic in style with Gothic elements like a geminate window, was probably rebuilt in the 13th century. It consists of five levels, with a blind ground floor and vaulted floors in a full hanger cradle. The access was originally made by a door on the first floor, protected by heavy roofs or balconies, as evidenced by the traces of crows still visible.

In the 14th century, after the recommendations of the States General of Provence (1363 or 1367), a enclosure was built to strengthen the city. In 1401, Louis II of Anjou, Count of Provence and King of Sicily, lifted an exceptional imposition to repair the fortifications, giving Saint Paul the title of "Royal City". The tower was equipped with a ironware campanile in 1685, housing a bell melted in 1443 and recast in 1637, engraved with a quotation from St Paul: "Hora is jam de somno surgere" ("It is time to get out of sleep").

Ranked a historic monument since September 23, 1922, the tower now houses the village's town hall. It is located opposite the collegiate of the Conversion of Saint Paul and the chapel of the White Penitents. Its architecture, marked by a trapezoidal section and defensive elements, reflects its central role in the medieval and modern history of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, from the struggle against the Saracens to its integration into the French royal domain after 1481.

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