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Origin and history

The Ravelin Tower is a defensive structure located in Fougères, Ille-et-Vilaine, part of the medieval fortification system of the city. Built in the 15th century under the reign of Duke Francis II (1458-1488), it protected the Saint-Léonard Gate, a vulnerable point of the ramparts. Its name comes from the ravelin, a semi-moon structure typical of fortifications, designed to resist the progress of artillery. Today, only the eastern half remains, the western part having disappeared during the 19th century urban development.

The construction of the tower is part of a strengthening of the Fougères defences after the siege of 1449, led by Duke François I to take over the city to François de Surienne. The damage suffered by the ramparts during the conflict, particularly in the face of artillery bullets, had revealed the need to adapt the fortifications. A tax on beverages, introduced by Francis II, partially financed this work. The tower was initially equipped with cannon casemates and a crenelated crown, now extinct, attesting to its role in active defence.

Architecturally, the tower presents itself as a quarter of a cylinder in corneal and granite bellows, consolidated by posterior chains. Its present state is the result of an amputation in the 19th century to correct the route of Rue Porte-Saint-Léonard and to build the adjacent presbytery in 1885. The tower has been listed as historic monuments since 1926, demonstrating its heritage importance. It is located between Rue Porte-Saint-Léonard and Place du Général Lariboisière, close to the town hall and the church of Saint-Léonard.

The Napoleonic cadastre of 1821 revealed that the tower was part of a larger defensive ensemble, including a horseman and a boulevard protecting the Saint-Léonard gate. At that time, the half moon was still intact, but only half survived urban transformations. The present parcel (section AT, no. 376) also includes the former presbytery, secularized after the 1905 Law on the Separation of Churches and the State, now occupied by the municipal services.

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