The Saracen Gate

Access to this entrance was defended by a wooden gate and a portcullis known as a Saracen gate. Approaching the gate, one can see, at the top left, one of the hinges and, to the right, the placement of the beams that allowed it to be closed; at the top, in the arch, the brickwork outlines the space through which the portcullis was lowered.

The arch and the right-hand jamb inside are made of blue-green serpentine marble from the Massif des Maures and are bossed, a characteristic feature of civil and military architecture in the 14th century.

Serpentine was extracted from local quarries; Gassin had his own, located at the time in his district of Cavalaire.

The Saracen Gate is depicted on the enigmatic monument to Saint Joseph at the entrance to the village.