Langres, City of Art and History

In 1638, faced with the plague, Bishop Sébastien Zamet instituted the "confrerie de la Charité" (Charity Fraternity), whose mission was to save the "poor sick". This new institution was given the responsibility of a hospital set up in several houses close together on this site.

A fire in 1770 allowed the building of a new and more functional hospital. Established following the plans of Nicolas Durand, architect responsible for administrative buildings in Champagne, the new hospital is formed of two wards linked to a central chapel by two wings. Here were the rooms reserved for the ill. The lateral wards were equipped with a room for convalescents, a pharmacy and an operating theatre. The whole allies symmetry with monumental scale around a courtyard forming an enclosed garden. The circular chapel, which is the central building of the ensemble, has a neo-classical decor of high quality. The sculpted decor, by local sculptor Antoine Besançon, underlines the vocation of the buildings. The pediment of the chapel shows la Charité welcoming orphans, whilst the pillars framing the doorway, represent Medicine (taking the pulse) and Surgery (cataract operation).

22 - Simonet of Isômes’ House

Late 17^th or early 18^th century

This private dwelling was probably built after Claude Simonet, Lord of Isômes, acquired this piece of land in 1705. There is, here, a strict separation of dwellings and out-houses where kitchens and stables are consigned to particular buildings.

Framed within a square, the facade, which gives on to the street, is enlivened by a forward central section of which the ground floor is decorated with bosses. The Piano nobile (principle storey), reserved for the private apartments, is conspicuous by larger bays and colossal pilasters, which unify the two levels. In spite of being damaged the pediment is admirable and shows a coat of arms flanked by two personages. This decor, including the roof in the form of a villa, is the sign of a building of quality.

29 - Renaissance House (rue Barbier d’Aucourt)

Circa 1544

The care involved in the building of this house, with its discrete decor, bare witness to the quality of this building, which is dated to 1544 according to the inscription which figures above the first floor. In spite of being built in the middle of the Renaissance, the facade employs a scheme that is typically medieval. The different levels are stacked on a relatively narrow width whilst the gable is outlined against the sky (the majority of facades of this type have since lost their upper section). Devolved upon the entrance hall, the first floor is enhanced by large openings and is delimited by a supporting band as well as a dripstone.

Originally representing a coat of arms, the bas-relief placed above the first floor has a small antique building, a temple.

39 - Longe-Porte Gate

Listed building
1^st century BC. Modified in1851

Up until the middle of the 19^th century the remains of a Gallo-Roman arch, marking the northern limits of the city, were still visible. It became a gate after having been incorporated into the fortifications of the third century, and owes its name either to the length of the structure, or to a legendary king named Longo, whose effigy could be seen on a wall on the city side.

At about 1538 a barbican was added in front of the gate to prevent a frontal attack. This also allowed artillery pieces to be installed to protect the northern flanks of the wall. Resembling a lock in the form of a chicane, this construction was equipped with a drawbridge at the first gate. A new guardhouse completed the work in 1619.

In 1851, military engineers got rid of all the antique vestiges, lowered the parapet of the barbican, and installed a new drawbridge, of which the wheels are still visible.

43 - Piquant Tower

Listed building
Circa 1565

The unusual name of this tower comes from its polygonal shape, the first to have been built in Langres. Conceived during the Wars of Religion, it took the place of a previous mediaeval tower. It is quite original; most artillery towers, such as St Ferjoux, were now considered too expensive in relation to their efficiency. Around 1550 Italian engineers devised pentagonal structures, which, filled with earth, were cheaper to build and much better at absorbing the impacts of cannonballs. Vaulted rooms housing cannon were now judged too fragile when under attack from modern artillery, and so the cannon were now placed in the open air, on terraces specially constructed or on top of towers.

In 1850, military engineers restored this watchtower allowing improved surveillance of the base of the walls.

47 - Saint Johns’, or St Gengoulps’ Tower

Listed building
Circa 1538. Modified in 1883.

Dating from the same period as the Longe-Porte Gate, this tower owes its name to the nearby former priory of St Gengoulp, today disappeared. Built on a rocky outcrop, this was the last artillery tower to be constructed at Langres. Its structure is simpler than its predecessors, with one vaulted chamber equipped with two side openings, which is protected by a forward shield measuring seven and a half metres thick.

In 1883 a military pigeon loft, built in a mediaeval style, was installed on the terrace. Unnoticed and capable of flying 100km in 80 minutes, homing pigeons were used to deliver messages up until the eve of the First World War.

The Cathedral Quarter | The Town Hall Quarter | The Saint-Martin Quarter | The Hospital Quarter