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Base Mérimée: Monuments historiques · France

Porte Martille

Salers, Cantal, France

The record

Designation
Historic monument, registered (inscrit)
Protection
inscrit MH
Extent of protection
Porte Martille : inscription par arrêté du 4 décembre 1925
Protection dates
1925/12/04 : inscrit MH
Type
porte de ville
Main period of construction
15e siècle
Ownership
propriété de la commune
Commune
Salers
Département
Cantal
Region
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Country
France
Coordinates
45.13764, 2.49277
Mérimée reference
PA00093684

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1636 map "La partie Septentrionale du Languedoc" (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

En 1428, Charles VII donna aux habitants de Salers l'autorisation de bâtir des remparts et des tours pour protéger la ville, malgré l'opposition des barons qui voyaient là une atteinte à leurs droits féodaux. Des remparts, seules subsistent la porte de la Martille et le beffroi. La porte est constituée d'une tour carrée en lave de deux étages, avec une toiture percée d'une lucarne. Le passage d'entrée est couvert par une voûte en berceau légèrement surbaissée que renforcent deux nervures faisant office de doubleaux dont le profil révèle la fin du 15e siècle. Entrée en ogive surmontée d'un écusson. Deux vantaux de menuiserie fermaient l'ouverture. Il n'existait pas de herse.

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

In 1428, Charles VII gave the inhabitants of Salers the authorisation to build ramparts and towers to protect the town, despite the opposition of the barons who saw this as an infringement of their feudal rights. Of the ramparts, only the Porte de la Martille and the belfry remain. The gate is made up of a square tower in lava stone with two storeys, with a roof pierced by a dormer. The entrance passage is covered by a slightly depressed barrel vault reinforced by two ribs serving as doubleaux whose profile reveals the end of the 15th century. Gothic entrance surmounted by an escutcheon. Two wooden doors closed the opening. There was no portcullis.

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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