Arroux Gate (Porte d’Arroux)
A Roman city gate from the reign of Augustus, with its four arches still standing.
- Heritage site
- 48 min from Beaune
- Allow 20 to 30 minutes
- Autun
€165one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- autun-tourisme.com
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 48 min by road (54 km), €165 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
The Porte d'Arroux marked the northern entrance to Augustodunum, on the road to Auxerre. Its four arches and part of its upper gallery survive after two thousand years. With the Porte Saint-André on the eastern side of town, it is one of the two Roman gates still standing in Autun.
What you will see
Stand in front of the gate to see its four round arches and, above them, the arcade of the upper gallery. The grooves that guided the portcullis are still visible in the stone. The pale limestone facing came from quarries on the Côte Chalonnaise, more than 30 kilometres away. Across town, the Porte Saint-André keeps its gallery and one of its towers, restored in the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc.
History
When Augustodunum was founded under Augustus, it received a rampart about 6 kilometres long with four main gates. The Porte d'Arroux, also called the Porte de Sens, controlled the road north towards Auxerre. Two wide central passages served vehicles, and two narrower side passages served people on foot. Above ran a gallery of ten arches carrying the walkway of the rampart, and tall towers once flanked the gate on either side.
Research in the 2010s showed that a second building stood on the town side, creating an inner courtyard. It worked like an airlock, where travellers could be checked and goods taxed. Probably in the Middle Ages, the gate was turned into a chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame d'Arroux. The towers and the courtyard building disappeared, and what remained was listed as a historic monument in 1846.
Planning your visit
Tips for your visit
The gate stands at the northern edge of the old town, on the road leading down to the river, and can be seen from the street at any time. Allow 20 minutes, or continue to the Temple de Janus just beyond the river. To see the Porte Saint-André as well, ask your driver to loop round the eastern side of town.
Around here
What to combine with Arroux Gate on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Arroux Gate is about 48 min from Beaune by road (54 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €165 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? Since 1945, the surviving tower of the Porte Saint-André, Autun's other Roman gate, has served as a Protestant church, and its bell hangs in one of the Roman arches.
Sources
Arroux Gate with a private driver
€165 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests