Saturday 15th February 2020.
I have become very attached to this beautiful gate, and feel a sense of ownership whenever I walk through it. Occasionally, it is open to the public so of course in I went. (Stuart is not fond of steps so waited outside.)
The original 1450 gate was implanted in the city wall, and was the main entrance to the city from the port. This version was built between 1493 and 1496, and served as a victory monument to King Charles VIII who won the battle of Fornovo against the Italians in 1495. The gate features a statue of King Charles VII, surrounded by Cardinal Andre d'Espinay, the Archbishop of Bordeaux, who led a Bordeaux contingent in the battle (apparently Archbishops were required to multitask in those days) and St John the Baptist, for good measure.
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View from the top of the gate towards the "blonde" river Garonne.
You can see the arches of "my" beautiful Pont de Pierre in the background.
The name of the tower means "pebble" as the opposite quay was paved with river stones. Not a very glamorous name for such a beautiful gate.
View from the other side of the top of the gate towards "our" square. (Our apartment is just around the corner from the back of the building on the right. Stuart's bar, where he goes for a drink most evenings, is just out of sight at the front right.
Looking up into one of the turrets.
As you enter the gate, there is a plaque on the ground saying that one of the four main routes of the pilgrimage from Paris to Santiago de Compostella in Spain passes through Bordeaux. This way is clearly marked by the shell signs that I followed in Spain. There is a hostel for pilgrims opposite the passageway to our apartment
The English section of the plaque.
So now I will have to go and find the Basilica of St Seurin.
Then I went to Mass at the church St Pierre, just around the corner. It was built in the 1500s on the ruins of an ancient church from the 1100s.
The church has a beautiful wooden Pieta.
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