Remparts Est
MonumentHidden Treasure
Powerful remnant of the royal bastide of Monpazier, the Remparts Est bear witness to the medieval art of defence at the heart of the Périgord Noir, and are counted among the best-preserved in the South-West.
History
Standing to the east of one of Europe's best-preserved fortified towns, the east ramparts of Monpazier are an exceptional example of medieval defensive town planning. In the Dordogne department, where the limestone seems to whisper with each century that passes, this wall is the mineral backbone of a town that has withstood wars, epidemics and revolutions. What sets these ramparts apart from so many other similar remains is their remarkable integration into Monpazier's vibrant urban fabric. Here, the stones are not isolated ruins behind gates: they stand next to inhabited houses, allotments and walkways that the locals still walk along naturally. The relationship between the town and its defences has never been broken, giving the whole a rare authenticity. A visit along this eastern flank is like stepping back in time without artifice. Visitors walk along a wall of blond stone with tight joints, punctuated by square towers whose archways cut through the Périgord light with geometric precision. From certain angles, particularly in the late afternoon when the sun gilds the limestone, the enclosure offers stunningly beautiful photographic views. The surrounding area reinforces this timeless atmosphere. The dry moat, now overgrown with wild vegetation and walkers, still clearly demarcates the boundary between the medieval town and its surroundings. From the heights of the sentry walk, you can see the wooded hills of the Périgord Pourpre, a reminder of the strategic position carefully chosen by the founders of the bastide.
Architecture
The east ramparts of Monpazier are in the tradition of Gascon fortified town walls from the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. They are built of blonde limestone extracted from local quarries in the Périgord region, laid in regular courses and bound with lime. The thickness of the walls, estimated at between 1.20 and 1.80 metres depending on the section, ensured sufficient resistance to the siege engines of the time. The top of the walls originally included a sentry walk protected by a crenellated parapet, of which several significant remains remain. The plan of the enclosure strictly follows the orthogonal alignment characteristic of Edwardian country houses: the eastern ramparts extend in an almost straight line, punctuated by slightly projecting quadrangular towers that were used to provide flanking fire along the curtain wall. These towers, open at the throat in accordance with medieval practice, could not easily be transformed into a fallback position by an invader who had crossed the first obstacle. The architraves, carved as narrow vertical slits with internal spandrels, bear witness to a sober and effective military design. The foot of the walls is preceded by a dry moat cut into the limestone bedrock, whose V-shaped profile accentuated the difficulty of approach and undermining. The legibility of this complete defensive system - wall, towers, moat - makes these ramparts a first-rate educational example for understanding the military architecture of the bastides of the south-west, at a time when territorial control depended as much on the geometry of the plans as on the solidity of the stone.
Related Figures
Édouard Ier d'Angleterre, roi d'Angleterre et duc d'Aquitaine, fondateur de Monpazier en 1285Pierre de Gontaut, seigneur de Biron, cosignataire du contrat de paréage fondant la bastideGeoffroy de Vivans, capitaine huguenot qui s'empara de Monpazier en 1574 lors des guerres de ReligionBuffarot, chef des Croquants, qui fit de Monpazier son quartier général en 1594 avant d'y être exécutéJean de Lustrac, gouverneur de la bastide sous les Valois, qui supervisa l'entretien des fortifications au XVIe siècle
