Tour du Pollet

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

History

The town of Saint-Chef takes its name from the eponymous abbey founded in the 6th century by saint Theudère, disciple of saint Césaire of Arles. The expansion of the abbey in the 12th century is accompanied by the development of housing and defensive installations: a town develops in the valley surrounding the abbey, and another is established higher up, within the fortifications of a castle attested since at least the 12th century and established on the heights, all surrounded by a wall. This feudal castle ensured the defence of the abbey and its town, and was in the possession of the powerful archbishops of Vienne, also abbots of Saint-Chef. In the 14th century, the heights of Saint-Chef appear to be occupied on one hand by the military abbatial castle of the archbishop of Vienne, of which the tower of Pollet is still a witness, and on the other hand in proximity to it but further to the west by the 'great castle', residence of the archbishops, with the development of a castle town including among other things the houses intended for their guests, the 'mas' of the castle, all surrounded by a wall and overlooking the lower part built on the hillsides made up of the abbatial complex and its town on the old road which crosses the valley. After the attachment of the Dauphiné to the kingdom of France, relations with neighbouring lords become more difficult, a war ensues from 1402 to 1405 with the Torchefelon family of Montcarra, resulting in the burning of the castle of Saint-Chef. The site will be definitively dismantled in the 16th century, leaving only the tower of Pollet and probably a corner tower incorporated into the present château Teyssier de Savy.

Description

The tower of Pollet is located at the eastern extremity of the former castle complex of the 'château quarter' which dominates the town of Saint-Chef. Eccentric in relation to other buildings, it is situated on the edge of a vast oval terrace, overlooking a second terrace or lower court, overlooking the abbey, and which still contain some traces of an old wall along the edge. Built in limestone, the upper part decapitated, the tower retains for its upper parts and interior its facing of small well-dressed rubble stone of molasse and limestone arranged in regular courses on which traces of smooth render can be found. On the lower part, at ladder height, this facing has been stripped away over the centuries. At the corners of the building are found fine blocks of the same grey-green molasse, carefully clamped, testifying to the care taken in its construction and the importance of this structure. The framing of the openings has disappeared. The tower bears traces of the anchoring of vegetation encroachment, regularly stripped to maintain the masonry. Its dimensions are imposing: it still measures approximately 17 metres in height. Its base is square, measuring 8.80 m by 8.80 m. The walls are very thick (2.40 metres), due to the requirements imposed by the thrust of the former internal vaults, such that the interior measures 4 metres to a side at its base. Entry is gained through a door approximately 1 metre wide. It is pierced on each side, at different heights, by ruined openings (a large opening on each face, of which only the traces remain) some of which still reveal pointed arcatures. Inside can be found the trace of a former barrel vault. Large notches allow the location of former beams to be found which correspond to the delimitation of storeys.