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Base Mérimée: Monuments historiques · France

Tour de Rochely

Pradelles, Haute-Loire, France

The record

Designation
Historic monument, registered (inscrit)
Protection
inscrit MH
Extent of protection
Tour de Rochely (cad. AE 177) : inscription par arrêté du 29 février 1972
Protection dates
1972/02/29 : inscrit MH
Type
édifice fortifié
Main period of construction
Moyen Age
Ownership
propriété privée
Address
;
Commune
Pradelles
Département
Haute-Loire
Region
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Country
France
Coordinates
44.76864, 3.88211
Mérimée reference
PA00092738

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IGN France — Géoportail

5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1777 map "89 Le Puy." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

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This record on the Ministère de la Culture's POP platform ↗

The Ministère de la Culture's notice

Pradelles était un relais important entre le Gévaudan et le Velay. De nombreux saccages eurent lieu au 14e siècle et au cours des guerres de Religion. Les enceintes et ouvrages de la ville doivent remonter au 14e siècle, date des grandes campagnes de fortifications du pays, contre les routiers et les invasions étrangères. La tour de Rochelix, du nom de la famille autrefois possessionnée, doit remonter à cette époque, comme bastion avancé des fortifications qu'elle pouvait protéger. Les archères et meurtrières ont aujourd'hui disparu, mais des traces semblent pouvoir en être trouvées dans quelques remplissages de murs. La tour de Rochelix, très proche de la porte de la Verdette, devait être un élément de la défense de celle-ci.

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Pradelles was an important relay between Gévaudan and Velay. Many plunderings took place in the 14th century and during the Wars of Religion. The enclosures and fortification works of the town must go back to the 14th century, the date of the great fortification campaigns of the region, against routiers and foreign invasions. The tower of Rochelix, named after the family formerly possessing it, must go back to this period, as an advanced bastion of the fortifications it could protect. The arrow slits and murder holes have now disappeared, but traces seem to be able to be found in some wall infills. The tower of Rochelix, very close to the Verdette gate, was to be an element of the defence of the latter.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Base Mérimée, Ministère de la Culture, data last updated 2026-09-17, reused under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab). Record text is reproduced unchanged. Ministère de la Culture · Licence Ouverte 2.0
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