Tour de l'Horloge

A former gateway to the 12th-century ramparts, the belfry of the échevinage, rebuilt around 1406, containing the sin that set the pace for municipal life. The tower symbolised the communal freedoms granted to the town in 1199 by a charter of communes. Built in 1332, the Clock Tower was rebuilt between 1406 and 1410 on the site of an old town gate. It houses the Sin - a bell in old French. It was nicknamed Pourteau du Groux Sin and served as a watchtower. In 1199, Saint-Jean-d'Angély received royal benefits allowing it to become a commune. The Clock Tower is the symbol of this communal freedom. Every evening, it rings the curfew bell, encouraging residents to return home and turn off their lights and fires. Its bell also calls the members of the Town Council and the burghers to the "mésées", the monthly meetings of the nearby aldermen's council. In the 18th century, the Tower was used as a prison, as evidenced by the numerous graffiti, large locks and window grilles. Traces of numerous impacts, a reminder of the sieges the town had to endure. A permanent exhibition has been set up in the four rooms that punctuate its elevation: the place of the tower in the development of the town, its different functions over the centuries, and its architectural features. Not open to the public.