Tour Clémentine, Historic tower in Monteux, France

The tour Clémentine is a medieval stone tower standing in the town of Monteux, in the Vaucluse department of France, and it is the only remaining part of a former castle. Its walls are about 6.5 feet (2 meters) thick, and its narrow openings give it the look of a structure built for watching and defense.

The tower dates from the 11th century and was originally part of the castle of Monteux. A fire ravaged that 14th-century castle, and the tower is all that remains of it today. It is classified as a Monument historique since 1910.

The tower is named after Pope Clement V, the first pope to install the papacy in the Vaucluse, then the Comtat Venaissin and property of the Holy See. Before the Palais des Papes in Avignon was built, he had an itinerant residence, staying at Monteux and at the Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Groseau in Malaucène.

The tower rises 28 metres with walls 2 metres thick, in the centre of Monteux. It is classified as a Monument historique, so it is seen from the outside; the small arched opening with its dark metal gate sits at the base of the front face.

The tower's name honours Pope Clement V, who stayed in Monteux while the Palais des Papes in Avignon was not yet built; his residence was itinerant, also at the Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Groseau in Malaucène. The tower is 28 metres high and 8 metres wide, with walls 2 metres thick.