Auxerre - Tour de l’Horloge

Auxerre was a Gallo-Roman center, then called Autissiodorum, located on the banks of the Yonne River. It became the seat of a bishop already in the 3rd century. In the 5th century, it received a cathedral.

Wine cultivations starting from the twelfth century made Auxerre a flourishing town. Auxerre suffered during the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion. In 1567 it was captured by the Huguenots, and many of the Catholic edifices were damaged.

Tour de l’Horloge

The original tower was part of a Gallo-Roman fortification and has been restored, enlarged and raised many times over the centuries. Based on this tower, a city gate was built in 1483, which also housed a prison. In the 17th century rich citizens donated the tower clock, which was installed above the city gate and whose clockwork is located in the former prison