Reference
PA00096743
Latitude
47.07789
Longitude
2.3925
Address
50 Boulevard Lamarck 18000 Bourges
Construction era
12e siècle;4e quart 15e siècle
Protection date
1980/12/24 : inscrit MH
Protection cause
Les façades et les toitures ainsi que l'escalier extérieur (cad. IL 249) : inscription par arrêté du 24 décembre 1980
Description
The ramparts section on each side of the powder tower had been included in the expansion of the city under the reigns of Louis VII and Philippe Auguste, with constructions made between 1180 and 1210. Their deterioration required a restoration under Charles VIII, from 1486 to 1497. The powder tower served as a corner of the ramparts. Erected between 1180 and 1210, it was restored several times and had various roles, especially as a workplace for the Cordiers of the Auron rampart. Under the Duke Jean de Berry, it was also used as a warehouse for the powder made from paper pasta from the Messire Moulin Jacques, a use which continues after 1793. The lower level is covered with a half-sphere-shaped vault. The tower is protected by radiant, long and narrow loopholes. Inside, the arrangement of the embrasures and the dome reflects the style of the 12th century. Before its reconstruction in 1487, it is likely that the base of the tower was polygonal in shape. Above the dome vault, the powder tower had to have a floor surmounted by a conical roof.
