Walking - Saint-James
The Gripel Tower
It was in 1429 that Bertrand de la Tour, lord of Olliergues, gave permission to Pierre de la Tour to fortify his castle. It was probably following this authorization that the Gripel Tower was built or remodeled. The structure appears as an isolated and independent circular keep, built in the Romanesque tradition. 18 m high, the tower is composed of 3 floors above a raised ground floor. It has 3 narrow windows that probably lit the staircase, and arrow slits and murder holes. A row of machicolations, whose lintels are adorned with an ogee arch, is still intact.
It was in 1429 that Bertrand de la Tour, lord of Olliergues, gave permission to Pierre de la Tour to fortify his castle. It was probably following this authorization that the Gripel Tower was built or remodeled. The structure appears as an isolated and independent circular keep, built in the Romanesque tradition. 18 m high, the tower is composed of 3 floors above a raised ground floor. It has 3 narrow windows that probably lit the staircase, and arrow slits and murder holes. A row of machicolations, whose lintels are adorned with an ogee arch, is still intact.