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Origin and history

The Montfromery Tower, also known as the Saint-Jacques Tower, is a medieval round tower built in the 15th century in Fougères, Brittany. It was part of the fortified enclosure of the upper city, marking the eastern boundary of the northern ramparts. Its present appearance was altered at the beginning of the 19th century by the creation of the boulevard de Rennes and the suppression of its superior defensive elements. It owes its name to Beaucé de Montframery, a connétable de Fougères active in 1473, and was formerly adjacent to a poterne named Four d'Enfer.

During the siege of Fougères in 1488, the tower suffered a breach opened by enemy artillery, contributing to the surrender of the square. It was connected to the Desnos Tower by a courtine to the west, while another courtine, now extinct, once led to the Roger Gate (destroyed in 1770). Private property as a large part of the remaining ramparts, the tower was recently restored. It has been listed as historic monuments since 15 December 1926, highlighting its heritage importance.

The tower illustrates the Breton military architecture of the late Middle Ages, a period marked by conflicts between the Duchy and the Kingdom of France. Its strategic location, at the entrance of the Vaux alley, made it a key point of the Fougères defensive system. The urban transformations of the 18th and 19th centuries partially erased its original context, but its massive structure remains an emblematic vestige of the city's fortifications.

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