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Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Tower of La Bridole is a tower of the Vitré ramparts, located in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany. It is located east of the city centre, near Bridole Street and Place de la République. Its name evokes an ancient marine term referring to a tool to bend the ship's limbs, although it is also called the Tour du Marché. Built in the 13th century, it was part of the medieval defensive system, adjacent to the old Gate of Up, destroyed in 1835.

The tower, originally equipped with archères visible from the inside, was entirely bloated in 1466 with shale, condemning its original openings. Gunners were added to the three levels to adapt to new war techniques, while its diameter increased from 6 to 11 metres. The lower floors were used for defense, while the upper levels were home to 15th-century houses equipped with period chimneys. The tower thus illustrates the evolution of fortifications between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

In the 19th century, the urbanization linked to the arrival of the station changed its environment: the Rue de la Borderie was raised, filling the medieval moat, and buildings came to lean against the tower. Ranked a historic monument in 1926, then the fortified enclosure in 2014, it was restored in the early 2000s after decades of abandonment. A conical pepper roof made it original, and its restoration was awarded at the Rubans du Patrimoine in 2012.

Today, the tower of the Bridole, 30 meters high with its spear, dominates the urban landscape of Vitré. Although permanently unavailable due to the small size of its stairs, it opens during Heritage Days or exhibitions. Its schist-stone architecture and history reflect the strategic importance of Vitré, a fortified Breton town on the borders of Anjou and Maine.

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