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Origin and history

The tower of the Bourreau, also called the tower of Corhaut, is the only remaining vestige of the medieval fortified enclosure of Lectoure, in the Gers. Its name comes from its historical function: it housed the executioner of the city, although its official name, the tower of Corhaut, refers to its location in the eponymous district, near the door of the same name. Located at the northeast corner of the ramparts, it marked a nerve point of the defences, where the plateau on which Lectoure extends was most vulnerable in the east. The fortifications were reinforced by bastions, a barbacan and a ditch, while the tower connected the eastern and northern ramparts.

The current structure results from several construction phases. The base, rebuilt in 1537, replaces an ancient tower deemed ineffective, whose foundations remain visible. The upper part, with irregular bands supported by corbellations, dates from 1592, as attests an engraved stone commissioned by Henry IV, who personally supervised the works. This stone, unique vestige among eight originals, bears the inscription REGN.Ho4 / FEBRUARY / 1592. The tower, built of local limestone bellows, was initially covered with a roof whose exact shape (slits, mâchicoulis or pepper) remains uncertain, although a 17th century plan suggests a conical roof. Gun murderers were added in 1547.

Inside, two thirds of the tower is filled with earth, and a pole in the middle of the hanger gives access to the west, towards the current boulevard du Nord, former round road. An underground room, defended by a murderer, could lead to undergrounds, although their existence is not confirmed. The tower was spared when the ramparts were destroyed and turned into a home in the 19th century, before being added to a new house in 1967. It was listed in the Historical Monuments in 1947 and now belongs to private individuals.

The last known executioner who occupied the tower was Jean Rascat (1759–46), from Nègrepelisse. Executer at Lectoure from 1780 to 1784, he applied the question (judicial torture) and proceeded to hangs in the basements of the senes floor. After a chaotic journey — aide-bourreau at Agen, master executor at Auch, then imprisoned for negligence and corruption — he ended his life in misery, supported by a small pension paid by notary Bladé. His name became synonymous with a gascon executioner, thanks to the accounts of Bladé in the Tales of Gascony.

The ramparts of Lectoure, mentioned in 1282, underwent a decisive siege in 1476 which damaged their defences. The tower, whose base could go back to the 11th century, barred access to the promontory by its most accessible side. Two separate construction appliances are visible, reflecting its successive redevelopments. Sold to an individual in 1869, it lost its original crowning but retained its symbolic role, linked both to the judicial and military history of the city. Today, it is officially referred to as the tower of Corhaut, known as Tour du Bourreau.

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