Tour de Montady, Medieval tower in Montady, France
Tour de Montady is a square stone tower rising about 20 meters high on a rocky promontory overlooking Montady pond, with three stacked levels inside. The walls are roughly one meter thick and show the solid construction typical of medieval fortifications.
The tower is probably an isolated outwork of the old castrum, mentioned as Castrum de Montadino from 1097 and as Castrum de Montaditi in 1134. No wall stub connects it to any other structure, which suggests it was always free-standing. It was listed as a monument historique on 21 March 1960.
The tower's name comes from the castrum of Montadino, recorded in 1097; a variant, Montaditi, appears in 1134. It has always stood alone: no wall stub links it to any other building, so it was likely a detached work of that castrum rather than part of a defensive line. It was listed as a monument historique on 21 March 1960.
The tower stands southwest of the village, between Rue de la Tour and Rue Marcelle Huc et Résistants, on a rocky promontory facing the Montady pond and the Ensérune oppidum. It has no internal staircase, and the sources do not record public access or opening times, so it is best viewed from the surrounding paths.
A row of putlog holes near the top of the tower shows that a wooden gallery, or hourd, once projected from the masonry. The tower has no staircase at all: each vaulted level was reached by a ladder through a central opening in the vault below.
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