Appearing in the records as early as 1417, where there is mention of work carried out under the authority of the then governor, Jean de Sauvigny, the wall gate was one of the five entrances to the town of Notre-Dame.
Yesterday’s traveller had to pass through a barbican, an advanced defence structure, before reaching it. The same procedure applies to today's traveller. Once through, the gate is revealed, giving access to the old district, with its cobbled streets, shops and old houses, all within a 5-minute walk of the Collégiale Notre-Dame.

The fortified gate

With its corbelled pepper towers, its hipped roof with two Jacobean dormers, its timber-framed upper level resting on brackets, and its pointed-arch carriage gates, it stands out to passers-by in all its majesty. The dressed stone facade also has the particularity of typical wide grooves where the gaffs of the two drawbridges would have been placed. They indicate the presence of a pedestrian door, which has since been transformed into a window. A moat, which has now been filled in, completed the structure. On the south wall, a door with moulded jambs features an unusual recess-shaped lintel. It houses a statue of the Virgin, on which traces of the original colours can still be seen.

Ground floor
Through the door, a spiral staircase leads to the first floor. A small door on the left leads to the ground floor premises, with a window onto the street. The floor is tiled.
Mezzanine floor
With tiled floor and exposed beams, it consists of a small room lit by a lancet in a vaulted recess. This appears to be an old, narrow workspace.
First floor
The two drawbridges were operated in the main room, the guardhouse. The mechanisms have now been removed. It features a stone fireplace and, on the south side, an old window seat, now closed, visible from the corridor. The ceiling has exposed beams and the floor is tiled with cobblestones.
Second floor
The second floor offers two living rooms, one of which has a fireplace with a large straight hood identical to that on the lower floor, and two smaller rooms in the turrets. In order to give the place a more comfortable character, alterations were made at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, such as the reduction of the wooden fireplaces, the addition of large windows and floor paving. The ceilings reveal the beams and the skilful work of the carpenters of the time. The floors are identical to those on the previous floor. A staircase leads to the attic, revealing much more of the talent of the craftsmen of yesteryear thanks to a cathedral roof structure, illuminated by the two Jacobean skylights.