Porte de la Cavalerie (ancienne)
MonumentHidden Treasure
Porte de la Cavalerie (ancienne), located in Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.6811, 4.6315
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00081185
A vestige of the medieval ramparts of Arles, the old Cavalry Gate bears witness to the defensive architecture that once encircled the ancient city, listed as a Historic Monument in 1928.
History
Standing on the edge of the old fortified perimeter of Arles, the old Cavalry Gate is one of the few remaining vestiges of the medieval walls that once protected this exceptional city, heir to Gaulish Rome. Its name unmistakably evokes its military function: it was through this opening that troops on horseback, armed convoys and men-at-arms passed to defend the territory of Arles at a time when walls were not a decoration, but a matter of survival. What makes the Porte de la Cavalerie unique is its position in an urban fabric that has undergone constant change since Antiquity. In fact, Arles is one of several civilisational strata - Roman, Merovingian, medieval and modern - and each stone in the gateway bears witness to this stratification. A close look at the masonry reveals a living history: the reuse of ancient blocks, the traces of successive extensions, the marks left by carts and horses on the worn jambs. A visit to the Cavalry Gate is a natural part of a walk along the ancient ramparts of Arles, between the Alyscamps and the Boulevard des Lices. Attentive visitors will appreciate the defensive logic behind its location: positioned to guard a strategic access route, it once commanded the entrance to the town from the northern lands of the Camargue and nearby Languedoc. Today, as part of the urban fabric of the historic centre of Arles - itself a UNESCO World Heritage site for its ancient monuments - the Cavalry Gate has been protected as a Historic Monument since 1928, a guarantee of the lasting preservation of this fragment of our collective memory. It is often discovered by chance, in the bend of an alleyway, offering that emotion typical of humble but authentic monuments: that of a past that has not quite given up being present.
Architecture
The former Porte de la Cavalerie belongs to the family of medieval urban gates with a military purpose, typical of fortified towns in the south of France. The structure is probably built using local limestone - shell limestone from the Arles region, known as 'pierre d'Arles', widely used in the town's medieval buildings - laid in regular courses, in accordance with a building tradition dating back to the Roman quarries in the Vallée des Baux. The arch over the carriage entrance is most likely in the form of a semicircular or slightly pointed arch, typical of early Romanesque and Gothic doorways in 12th-13th-century Provence. The thick, massive jambs bear witness to their primary defensive function: they were designed to absorb impact, resist battering rams and support the weight of any metal-reinforced wooden leaves. Traces of harrow housings and door hinges are common in this type of building. The special technical feature of the Cavalry Gate lies in its dimensions, which were calibrated to allow the simultaneous passage of horsemen in formation - a significantly wider opening than the simple pedestrian gates that lined the enclosure. This increased width, combined with the height required to allow standards and lances to pass through, gives the building a discreet but real monumentality, reinforced by the probable integration of a guardhouse or flanking tower, some of which has now disappeared.
Related Figures
Raymond Bérenger V, comte de Provence (1198-1245) — sous son règne, les fortifications arlésiennes furent moderniséesCharles Ier d'Anjou, comte de Provence (1227-1285) — réorganisateur des défenses du comté de ProvenceProsper Mérimée, inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques — précurseur de la protection du patrimoine provençal au XIXe siècleFrédéric Mistral, poète et défenseur du patrimoine arlésien — militant pour la sauvegarde des vestiges médiévaux de la citéAuguste Véran, architecte des Monuments Historiques actif à Arles au début du XXe siècle — impliqué dans les campagnes de restauration régionales
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Porte de la Cavalerie (ancienne) located?
Porte de la Cavalerie (ancienne) is located in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Porte de la Cavalerie (ancienne) built?
Porte de la Cavalerie (ancienne) dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Porte de la Cavalerie (ancienne) open to visitors?
Porte de la Cavalerie (ancienne) is currently closed to visitors.