Bordeaux : la porte Dijeaux en rénovation | Bordeaux Métropole
Upcoming work
In the context of the redevelopment of Place Gambetta in 2019, the restoration of this most emblematic gate was studied. Its current state is the result of renovations in 1971. Despite its significant spillage, the door does not show any structural damage. The underpinning reinforcement work visibly stabilized the settlements and no structural cracks appeared from the comforts. Disorders encountered in 1953 and treated (cracks in the upper parts, sagging keystones) did not reappear.
Exposed to automobile pollution before the pedestrianization of 1974 and the proximity of the square, the whole structure is very dirty, especially in the poorly washed parts (lower surface of the arch, protected recesses, underside of the cornices and bosses).
The plain and molded facings will be cleaned by cryogenics after treatment of the whole with biocide. As the pillar stones are mostly in good condition, relatively little replacement is planned.
Cement leveling compounds will be pitted and replaced by lime leveling compounds. The broken stone elements will be restored either by leveling or by grafting. Degraded joints will be picked up and restored with lime.
Sculpture restoration
The bas-reliefs and sculpted groups will be treated by biocide in several passes, then by application of a clay-based poultice. The application of poultice makes it possible to clean but also the desalination of the works. Once cleaned, the sculptures will be mineralized and reinforced. On the pediments, they will be restored to conservation by patching. On the eastern pediment, elements of foliage which have lost their legibility will be replaced by grafting. The creation of flashings will allow the rapid evacuation of water and will preserve the exposed structures. The sculpted groups will also be restored by patching and stone plugs. The sculpted elements have a water repellent and a harmonizing whitewash.
Save him
The current Porte Dijeaux is the third of the name. The first, one of the fourteen doors of the 4th century Bordeaux Roman wall, was a simple opening pierced through the thickness of the western face of the wall, at the end of a long straight street. It would have been, according to Camille Jullian, the door of Jupiter, “porta Jovia”. In 1302, it was demolished and another rebuilt, ten to twelve meters further west, in the wall of the new enclosure, between two round towers projecting over the ditch. This gate which communicated the city with the Saint-Seurin suburb, also served as a defense in the event of an attack from the suburb. She fulfilled this role in 1650, during the Fronde, and withstood the siege of Marshal de la Mailleray for twelve days after he had, at the head of the royal troops, occupied the Faubourg Saint-Seurin.
To continue the embellishments of Bordeaux carried out by Intendant Tourny, the jurats decided, in 1746, to create the Place Dauphine (now Place Gambetta) between the old 14th century gates of Dauphine and Dijeaux and, consequently, the demolition of the half-moon in front of it. In fact, the gate itself was also destroyed and, in 1748, work began on the erection of the new work of Nicolas Portier. It marks the end of a long straight street on the Place Dauphine which, starting from the Place Royale open to the river, is none other than the ancient Roman artery “decumanus” which led to the Porte de Jupiter.