Bize-Minervois

La Porte Saint Michel

In the 8th C, the Village of Bize was surrounded by raised ramparts, ruins of which are still visible today. La Porte Saint Michel, St Michaels Gate, was the original main gate, and was located to the West of the circular ramparts. There was another access gate to the Village, the Porte Sainte Croix to the East. The outer gate was renovated in 1826. It represents a style of architecture called “ a handle of a basket”- which does not correspond to the original design. Beyond this entry point, which marks the spot of the port-cullis, one notices, on the ground, the Blazon of Cardinal Bonzi, one of the Lords of Bize. Just after this time, the only
authentique gate- Porte Saint Michel, a big design project,survived the centuries and is still intact today.

La Porte Saint Michel.

Go through the gate, you find yourself on a small Placette, the Place aux Herbes, where gardeners could sell their produce. It remained thus up to the Middle Ages. To assist the traffic, it had to be built for enough space to manoeuvre the wagon.