Paris1972-Versailles2003

So you know Vannes is my capital city and administrative center for us. It was as well for 9 years my place of work, just outside city limits, and we go there every week at least once! Therefore, I have written plenty about Vannes in my blog; but as often the case there are some missing parts.. I like to remedy that in addition of writing on the ramparts of the old town , do a bit more on the gates and towers that make up this rampart of Vannes.

So, then, le me tell you a bit more on the Porte de Calmont and the tour du Connétable or Calmont gate and Constable tower of Vannes!

The  tour du Connétable or Constable tower was built in the first half of the 15C, is a building integrated into the ramparts of Vannes in Morbihan. Despite its fortified appearance, resolutely turned towards the defense of the city, and although the tower has artillery casemates in the lower room, the initial destination of the Constable’s tower was to house the chief of the Duke of Brittany’s armies. . Its name therefore comes from its function, the most illustrious representative of which was Arthur III of Brittany known as “the Constable of Richemont”, Constable of France and Duke of Brittany. (see hôtel de ville post on his equestrian statue), The tower is located on the eastern side of the second enclosure of Vannes, south of the gun Powder Tower (see post) and north of the Garenne spur. At its feet is the Garenne public garden (see post) which stretches along the ramparts, a garden itself bordered by the Marle river.

The construction of the Constable’s tower dates from the extension of the enclosure towards the south undertaken during the reign of Duke Jean IV. The tower was sharpened in 1676 following the disappearance of the military interest of the fortifications. The town once again became the owner of the building in 1786 and used it for the confinement of mentally unstable people and girls of bad life. During the French revolution and the Chouannerie (rebel farmers vs revolution), like other monuments of the city, the tower was converted into a prison, in particular for the Breton nobles arrested in the affair of the landing of Quiberon (see post landing from England to fight vs revolution).

The Tour du Connétable has five levels as well as a poultry yard at street level on the intramural side. Part of this farmyard still exists. This is made up of several parts. The tower is rounded outwards and has canted sides inwards. An outgrowth of the inner face of the ramparts houses a spiral staircase. The entrances to the tower from inside the city (ground floor – first floor) are protected by machicolations. Access to the south curtain wall, which previously led to the Château de l’Hermine (see post), is from the exterior of the building’s first floor via a wooden platform; the second and third levels are lit by large windows.

The spiral staircase serves the last three levels with a double vertical circulation. From the rue des Remparts, a straight staircase and a door give access to the bottom of the stairwell. The two lower levels are independent of the last three. The first level is a vaulted vault, pierced with casemates for the artillery. Access to the two gunboats is via a narrow spiral staircase on which three polygonal rooms are the living quarters. On the west side of the tower, the second and third levels have a single flue fireplace the third level room is the most beautiful, notably with a monumental fireplace , Under the eaves, the fifth level has its own fireplace in the opposite the main fireplace. The roof of the tower, pointed, is dominated by the high chimney and flanked by the turret of the staircase and two dormers.

The city of Vannes on the Tour du Connétable: https://www.mairie-vannes.fr/vannesdecouverte/histoire-et-patrimoine/qr-patrimoine/tour-du-connetable-en-detail/

The new enclosure undertaken at the end of the 14C by Jean IV includes two new gates to the south towards the port district one of these was the Porte de Calmont. The gate takes the name of the suburb it serves and which is the starting point towards the Rhuys peninsula following the coastal route via Séné and the passage of Saint-Armel.

This Calmont gate retains the traces of the closing system comprising two swing drawbridges: high grooves in the wall, above each door which retains the bridge arrows once raised. At the base of the two passages, we can see the holes that received the axes of the drawbridges. The development of this gate also includes on its left the construction of a tower which rose on three levels. Today it is clipped from its last level where, under the roof, was an upper room surrounded by a covered walkway resting on the consoles of the machicolation. The tower has a lower room (today backfilled) pierced a gunboat facing the port and a guard room with a fireplace and open from a second gunboat facing the castle of Hermine (see post). Two separate doors located in the alley give access to to these rooms. On the top of the curtain, on the right, we can still see the corbelets which, in the 16C, supported the guardhouse, in wood, built in corbel above the moat. Between 1616 and 1619, the gate received an advanced protection of which we can still distinguish some bases supporting the garden on the rue Alexandre Le Pontois side. It was condemned in 1625 in favor of the new Porte Saint-Vincent gate which opened on the harbor. The Porte de Calmont underwent a restoration in 1992 which allows  pedestrians to take it again on a footbridge which spans the Marle river, and which joins, thanks to the release of an alley, the rue Saint-Vincent. And right into old town of Vannes!

The city of Vannes on the porte de Calmont: https://www.mairie-vannes.fr/vannesdecouverte/histoire-et-patrimoine/qr-patrimoine/porte-et-tour-de-calmont-en-detail/

There you go folks, two wonderful gates/towers along the beautiful ramparts of Vannes a must to visit when in town. Hope you enjoy this more detail post on the ramparts marvelous architectural/historical gems.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

So you know Vannes is my capital city and administrative center for us. It was as well for 9 years my place of work, just outside city limits, and we go there every week at least once! Therefore, I have written plenty about Vannes in my blog; but as often the case there are some missing parts.. I like to remedy that in addition of writing on the ramparts of the old town , do a bit more on the gates and towers that make up this rampart of Vannes.

So, then, le me tell you a bit more on the Porte St Jean and the tour Poudriére or St John gate and gun powder tower of Vannes!

The Tour Poudrière is closer to the end of the ramparts. The gun Powder Tower was redeveloped in the second half of the 15C on the basis of an old 12C tower. This tower equipped with artillery casemates was used at the end of the Middle Ages as a reserve of gun powder, which earned it its name of Poudrière. Part of the curtain wall between the Joliette and Poudrière towers is the only section to be permanently accessible to the public, the entrance being on rue des Vierges by the Place Lucien Laroche.

To the north of the walled town there was a door in the Middle Ages called the “Porte du Mené” which gave access to this suburb. Some remains of this ancient passage, condemned in 1358 during the War of the Succession in Brittany , can still be seen in a private garden.  The story goes that to facilitate the access of carts of goods from Rennes and Nantes in the intramural and avoid the great embarrassment of the Prison gate (see post), it was decided to open two gates in the enclosure, the Poterne gate (today you can come to the old town by here with a car! ) to the east and the Saint-Jean gate to the north but a little lower than the old so-called Mené gate. This new access was opened in 1688, following the principle of gates with large wooden leaves. The gate replaces here a large staircase mentioned in the report of the work drawn up in 1685. It is preceded by a bridge which spans the moat of the wall. Its name “Porte Saint-Jean” comes from a chapel destroyed in 1856 which was located at the top of the rue Brizeux adjoining the cathedral.  We can see by this gate St Jean the defensive system of the ramparts in the 15C by corbelled machicolation on the curtain. These overhanging orifices made it possible to drop stones on the attackers. The base of the wall is profiled in an inverted Y at the same time to reinforce the stability in the event of actions of undermining, but also so that the projectiles released from the machicolations rebound towards the enemies. The top of the St Jean gate has a stone plaque placed in 1912, according to an old desire of the States of Brittany to see the coat of arms of France placed above this gate, surrounded by coat of arms of the Duke of Chaulnes, Governor of Brittany, of Lavardin de Beaumanoir, Lieutenant General in Rennes, of the Count of Lannion, Governor of Vannes, and finally, that of the city of Vannes.

The city of Vannes on its ramparts with detail map picture: https://www.mairie-vannes.fr/vannesdecouverte/histoire-et-patrimoine/qr-patrimoine/les-remparts-en-detail/

There you go folks a dandy of old wonderful architecture, monuments to protect and leave for future generations, wonderful Vannes. These have little information as single entity but needed to tell you more of them as they are an integral part of the ramparts of Vannes. Hope you enjoy the post and do visit my Vannes.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

So going over my picture vault and realising some are missing from my blog and they should be in it. My trips to our capital city and former job place Vannes are many and so are my posts. However, feel this wonderful building in the old town deserves a post of its own. Therefore, let me tell you a bit more on the Haussmann Burton of Vannes!!!

First, a bit of history I like

Before the construction of the Progrès building (now Burton), stood a Château de la Motte which was ceded in 1286 to the bishop. It became the episcopal mansion and was then rebuilt in 1654. In 1790, when Vannes became the capital of Morbihan,(during the French revolution), the building became the residence of the prefects for 60 years.

The Burton building , it is hard not to notice at the corner of Burgault and Billault streets this magnificent Haussmann-style building, The store “Au progress” then “Saint-Rémy” and today Burton are the successive signs of the commercial buildings installed on the ground floor and on the mezzanine of the building. The name of the first sign is carried at the top of the dome in the symbolic representation of progress, Begun in 1914, it will not be completed until 1923 due to the Great War.(WWI). My boys walking by it below pic lol!

Symbol of the birth of department stores, it originally bears the name “Au Progrès” evoking the idea that we had of these stores before becoming Saint-Rémy, then Burton. The building now houses the Burton store and several apartments. Its flagship symbol is the 400 kg zinc dome, remade identically, by a company specializing in roof ornamentation, The spiral part had to be hoisted to the top of the dome 45 meters m) in two stages. The base 2.80 meters wide and nearly 3 meters high then the pine cone of 50 kg which overhangs it.

The Burton store is classic style ready-to-wear chain for women and men also offering shoes and accessories, Official webpage : https://www.burton.fr/nos-boutiques.php

There you go folks, a classic building indeed with a nice change of pace in old town nearby are wooden houses going back to the 14C! Of course, we had tried the Burton store but not our favorite we told you in several posts in my blog its AT…Worth stopping by for its architecture contrast with the neighborhood.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!