Archaeologists investigating the remains of a defensive tower in Nantes, France, have dated its construction to the 15th century. The findings are offering new insights into how the city strengthened its fortifications during the final centuries of the Middle Ages.
The three-week excavation focused on the Tour du Mûrier, located near Nantes Cathedral and the Cours Saint-Pierre. Led by Camille Dreillard, a doctoral researcher at Nantes Université, the project brought together six archaeology students to investigate a structure whose surviving remains have been known for nearly a century but had never undergone detailed archaeological study.
The most important evidence came from the discovery of two gunports built into the tower. Their shape and connection with the use of gunpowder weapons indicate that the Tour du Mûrier was constructed during the beginning or middle of the 15th century.
The discovery places the tower within a period when Nantes was strengthening its medieval defences. The city was an important political and strategic centre of the Duchy of Brittany, whose relationship with the Kingdom of France became increasingly confrontational during the 15th century. The French Ministry of Culture connects the construction of the tower with efforts to reinforce Nantes’s defensive system during this period.
Centuries of Nantes’s defences
The excavation also revealed that the medieval tower formed only one phase in a much longer history of fortification at the site. Archaeologists uncovered a previously unknown section of the city’s ancient defensive wall, parts of which date back to the Roman period. The medieval and later fortifications subsequently developed around these earlier defences.
Other discoveries came from the former defensive ditch. Archaeologists recovered fragments of pottery and glass along with food remains. Researchers hope these objects will provide evidence about everyday life in Nantes from the end of the Middle Ages onwards. The finds will now undergo further study and will contribute to Dreillard’s doctoral research into the city’s fortifications.
The Tour du Mûrier continued to form part of Nantes’s defences until the 18th century, when its upper sections were demolished during the development of the promenade Saint-Pierre. Its surviving remains were rediscovered in 1932 and have remained visible, although they had not previously been subjected to a detailed archaeological investigation.
Following the 2026 excavation, the remains are being reburied. Researchers say covering the masonry offers the best protection against deterioration caused by exposure to air and moisture. The results of the excavation will meanwhile help archaeologists reconstruct how Nantes’s fortifications evolved from their ancient origins through the Middle Ages.
Top Image: The remains of the medieval Tour du Mûrier in Nantes during archaeological excavations in August 2026. Photo: DRAC Pays de la Loire
Archaeologists investigating the remains of a defensive tower in Nantes, France, have dated its construction to the 15th century. The findings are offering new insights into how the city strengthened its fortifications during the final centuries of the Middle Ages.
The three-week excavation focused on the Tour du Mûrier, located near Nantes Cathedral and the Cours Saint-Pierre. Led by Camille Dreillard, a doctoral researcher at Nantes Université, the project brought together six archaeology students to investigate a structure whose surviving remains have been known for nearly a century but had never undergone detailed archaeological study.
The most important evidence came from the discovery of two gunports built into the tower. Their shape and connection with the use of gunpowder weapons indicate that the Tour du Mûrier was constructed during the beginning or middle of the 15th century.
The discovery places the tower within a period when Nantes was strengthening its medieval defences. The city was an important political and strategic centre of the Duchy of Brittany, whose relationship with the Kingdom of France became increasingly confrontational during the 15th century. The French Ministry of Culture connects the construction of the tower with efforts to reinforce Nantes’s defensive system during this period.
Centuries of Nantes’s defences
The excavation also revealed that the medieval tower formed only one phase in a much longer history of fortification at the site. Archaeologists uncovered a previously unknown section of the city’s ancient defensive wall, parts of which date back to the Roman period. The medieval and later fortifications subsequently developed around these earlier defences.
Other discoveries came from the former defensive ditch. Archaeologists recovered fragments of pottery and glass along with food remains. Researchers hope these objects will provide evidence about everyday life in Nantes from the end of the Middle Ages onwards. The finds will now undergo further study and will contribute to Dreillard’s doctoral research into the city’s fortifications.
The Tour du Mûrier continued to form part of Nantes’s defences until the 18th century, when its upper sections were demolished during the development of the promenade Saint-Pierre. Its surviving remains were rediscovered in 1932 and have remained visible, although they had not previously been subjected to a detailed archaeological investigation.
Following the 2026 excavation, the remains are being reburied. Researchers say covering the masonry offers the best protection against deterioration caused by exposure to air and moisture. The results of the excavation will meanwhile help archaeologists reconstruct how Nantes’s fortifications evolved from their ancient origins through the Middle Ages.
Top Image: The remains of the medieval Tour du Mûrier in Nantes during archaeological excavations in August 2026. Photo: DRAC Pays de la Loire
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