"sarrasine" Tower

Medieval gate whose construction dates back to the Middle Ages. It is surmounted by a building known as the Saracen Tower. It is one of the square towers that marked out the rampart behind which the city was enclosed.

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This appellation owes nothing to the Moors who occupied the Var in the 10th century. A metal harrow, which was called "sarrasine", closed the door every evening in the Middle Ages, hence its name.
It is the main gate of the town, it is also called the gate of the Alps, since the route from there leads north.
It was largely reused in the following centuries, especially in the 17th century, a few decades after the Wars of Religion that affected the town in 1574. Its walls were then doubled and the arms of the town and the king were placed there. Then an abalone was planted in the square in front of it.
Two wooden rods were used to reinforce it. The grooves in the walls still show this today, as do the hinges that remain in the building. On the left, a door, now walled, gave access to the steps leading into the building.