The Thiers ramparts are fortifications erected between the 11th and 16th centuries to protect the town of Thiers in the Puy-de-Dôme department, France.
Since the 11th century, the town has undergone a process of concentric expansion around the ramparts of the lord's castle and the Saint-Genès church. As new villages were established near the city walls, the fortified town underwent at least five periods of expansion. The least well-maintained sections of the walls were demolished in the late 18th century, with the majority of urban redevelopment in the 19th century resulting in the destruction of several segments of the northern wall and the repurposing of the eastern wall. By the nineteenth century, only the eastern section of the fortifications remained intact, primarily serving as a retaining wall for the sloping terrain of the town.
The entire structure of the town's ramparts has been designated a notable heritage site and is overseen by the local (PSMV).
History
First Enclosure
In the 11th century, the initial fortification was constructed, encompassing both the feudal castle and the Saint-Genès church. Two Romanesque gates were built in this initial wall, allowing passage to the path that led to the town. During the 15th century, it was designated as the "wall of the Palace of Chastel." The primary thoroughfare of this inaugural district of the city is named in commemoration of this structure; it is currently known as the "Rue du Palais," although it should be referred to as the "Rue du Palais du Chastel."
The configuration of the streets and squares within the wall does not appear to have been planned according to a strict and pre-established scheme. The initial path remained in the same location; even the construction of the first wall did not result in a significant alteration to the general direction of the path, which entered the enclosure through the "Porte de la Bout" (demolished at the end of the 19th century) at the top of the current rue du Palais and exited by the "Square Tower of the Chancellery" in front of the current . The gate, now backfilled and walled up, can still be seen above the Place du Pirou. The space between the Chastel Palace and the church has always remained open. From the outset, this space was used as a public gathering place in times of peace, but it also served as a refuge for local farmers bringing their herds to safety in times of insecurity. In the 15th century, it was transformed into a cemetery.
Second enclosure
At the beginning of the 13th century, the town experienced a period of expansion to the north, resulting in the construction of a new wall surrounding the existing houses. This new neighborhood was served by a significant freshwater spring, later channeled into the Pirou fountain, located close to the initial wall. The primary thoroughfare of this urban expansion is Rue du Bourg. Two further principal thoroughfares were subsequently constructed: the Rue du Pourcharesse (subsequently renamed Rue Lasteyras) and the Rue du Transvaal (subsequently renamed Rue du Bourg). During this period, the appellations assigned to streets in the city frequently derived from geographical sources, either denoting the location of the street or the neighborhood it served. In Thiers, it is uncommon for a street to retain the same designation since the fifteenth century.
Third enclosure In the fourteenth century, a new neighborhood was forming in the relatively protected angle to the east by the "wall of the Palace of Chastel" and to the north by the "wall of the Palace of Bourg." To protect this expansion, a new wall was constructed, known as the "new wall of the city of Thiart," which constitutes the city's third wall.
Upon the erection of a new wall, new houses were constructed on either side of the now disused old wall. Initially, a "relay" was left along the old wall. The configuration of the houses resulted in the formation of a new street on either side, situated parallel to the original wall. Furthermore, the wall could serve as the foundation for the facades of houses. At this juncture, the new street followed the remains of the old wall, as evidenced by the second and third walls. The layout of the streets in Thiers remained profoundly shaped by the fortifications, which held unparalleled importance in the city's urban planning. These defensive structures were constructed under the existing space to be protected, optimizing the use of the terrain. Religious considerations and military necessities directed the city's development, and although this is now largely overlooked, it is still discernible in the city's topography, which can be characterized as picturesque.
Fourth enclosure In the fifteenth century, the city's expansion was such that a fourth wall was constructed, encompassing the previous three. This final wall, covering a significantly larger area than the preceding ones, was promptly designated the "city wall." The wall's construction was initiated by Louis II of Bourbon around 1400. At that time, the city was experiencing the final in a series of devastating wars, later known as the Hundred Years' War.
Fifth enclosure In the sixteenth century, the lordship initiated the construction of a final defensive wall to safeguard the recently developed residential areas on the eastern mountainside, close to the Durolle River and the Vallée des Usines. Despite its relatively modest dimensions, this wall represented the closest defensive structure to the aforementioned locations.
Other defensive elements The city's walls and gates were reinforced with protective elements from their construction. These included embrasures, called bouches à feu in the region, which allowed archers or gunners to fire. As Michel Combronde notes in Représentation graphique de la porte Neufve au début du XVe siècle, many loopholes were also in the city's towers and walls.
The work of historian André Kristos draws attention to several examples of what are known as brayettes. It would appear that these are false braies, a term that was used in the 15th century to describe such structures. They constitute an embankment or retaining wall that encircles a fortified camp. In the context of premodern fortification, this ante-chamber was situated between the moat and the primary defensive wall of a fortress. The brayette was positioned lower than the main wall to defend it from the moat. Two brayettes were discovered in Thiers. The first, called the "brayette du Chastel," surrounded and protected the Chapter Tower of the first wall, and the second, the "brayette du Bourg," situated further north, protected the Montauld Tower of the second wall.
Final reinforcements and partial dismantling
The Wars of Religion commenced in 1562 in France. The inhabitants of Thiers were particularly susceptible to the influence of the "new ideas" due to their openness to external influences, particularly those emanating from the Lyon basin. As early as 1551, Antoine Chabrol, a cutler from Thiers, elected to flee to Switzerland. He was among the initial cohort of Protestant migrants seeking asylum in the country between 1549 and 1556. In the subsequent years, numerous individuals from Thiers migrated to Geneva. The city promptly augmented its fortifications to deter an incursion by the Huguenots, who increasingly threatened the city. Nevertheless, in 1568, they managed to gain entry and wreaked havoc on a portion of it.
From the 17th century onwards, Thiers experienced urban expansion as a consequence of significant economic growth driven by the flourishing in the region. As the population increased, the city undertook various improvements to facilitate movement within the city walls, such as constructing the Saint-Genès pedestrian route (see below). At the end of the 18th century, the city planned the destruction of part of the walls to prevent the collapse of poorly maintained sections and to widen traffic routes. Other parts of the walls were also destroyed to create streets in their place, such as Rue Grenette and Rue Pasteur.
In the nineteenth century, the northern section of the fourth wall was almost entirely demolished to facilitate the construction of new thoroughfares, including the roads, rue Victor-Hugo, and rue Prosper-Marilhat. Consequently, establishing Imperial Road No. 89 – subsequently designated as National Road 89 in 1824 – necessitated the destruction of five defensive towers and two gates.
Despite the partial destruction of Thiers' walls, the majority of these fortifications and their associated towers remain intact to this day. The towers are currently used for residential purposes, as evidenced by the Pignat Tower. The walls, meanwhile, serve two distinct functions. Primarily, they support the underlying land on which the city is constructed. Secondly, they offer a foundation for buildings erected directly on the wall.
Protection and enhancement of heritage In 1820, a section of the fourth wall was rebuilt, predominantly comprising the structures that supported the city's eastern land holdings.
The urban wall of Thiers is notable for its high degree of preservation, with nearly two-thirds of its original structure remaining intact. Despite the destruction of several segments during the 19th century, the wall remains one of the most well-preserved examples in the Auvergne region. From the Vallée des Usines to the east and the Limagne plain to the west, the city of Thiers is visible as it is built on a rocky spur surrounded by a belt of walls. This is particularly evident on rue Anna-Chabrol and rue des Murailles, which retain the entirety of the walls that support them.
The entire city's walls are classified as a and managed by the (PSMV). This program contributes to protecting and enhancing the city's historical heritage, of which the walls are a part. However, only a segment of the walls is classified as a historic monument, given that part of the urban fabric rests on the walls.
The Thiers tourist office regularly organizes tours of the medieval city. This tour, entitled "Thiers, the Medieval", provides an insight into the diversity and richness of the upper city's heritage. The tour route encompasses streets where the walls are well preserved, affording the tourist guide the opportunity to provide a concise historical overview of the city's walls and their evolution. +List of elements listed or classified as historical monumentsProtected elementsStateProtectionDateChurch of St John, ThiersClosed to the publicListingOctober 27, 198612 Rue de la CoutellerieCollapsed in 2012ListingJuly 13, 192614 Rue de la CoutellerieCollapsed in 2012ClassificationAugust 9, 1922Cutlery MuseumHouses part 2 of the Cutlery MuseumListingMarch 21, 1983Lauzun HouseIn good conditionListingJuly 13, 1926
Detailed map Detailed map of the ramparts and inner city of ThierRemaining elementsDisappeared elements: Chastel Palace: Chapter Tower: Square Tower of the Chancellery: Bout Gate: Clock Tower: Bourg Portal: Yrison Tower: City Tower: Chastelain Tower: Tower Under the Market Hall: (Unnamed) Tower: Salement Gate: Pedde Saint-Genès: Limagne or Lymagne Gate: Pedde du Coin des Hasards: Tower 2: Maistre Raymond Tower: Tower 1: Guet Tower: Allepit II Tower: Pignat Tower: Neufve Gate: Montauld Tower: Poule Tower: Tower 3: City Tower: Porte Malorie: Lac Portal: Malorie Tower: Town Hall Tower: Coagne Gate: Lyon Gate: Coagne Tower: Tower under the hospital: Saint-Jean Gate: Allepit I Tower: Saint-Jean Church: Seychal Gate
Remaining elements