Baudry Gate

The Baudry Gate is a vestige of the last city walls built under François 1st, with four gates. Today, you can admire the last remaining gateway, which was rebuilt in 1587 by Henri III, then restored under Bonaparte’s Consulate. You can still see where the two portcullises used to demarcate the area where the tolls were levied to enter the town. The openings in the casemates were used by the guards to keep watch and collect tolls. Under the present-day town hall, large cellars  were used to store the foodstuffs collected. This toll was abolished during the Revolution. The Porte Baudry has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1926.

Above the gateway, admire the town’s coat of arms. It originates from the coat of arms of the Montmorency family, with a red cross and 4 azure eagles on a gold background. The family took up these arms in 978 when Baron Bouchard 1er de Montmorency fought the German emperor Othon II and won. The legend ‘Aplanos’, which in Greek means ‘without deviation’, is often found on coats of arms with eagles. It refers to the straight and stealthy attack of the bird of prey. The speed of this lightning attack meant that neither its talons, beak nor eyes were visible. This is how it was depicted on coats of arms to reflect the swift assaults of the feudal armies of the time.