St. John Gate

The stone archway spanning Rue Saint-Jean stands as a fortress entrance, heavy and fortified against the narrow street. While three different gates have occupied this spot since seventeen forty-five, the current version dates to nineteen thirty-nine. During the mid-nineteenth century, officials demolished the original gate to ease the flow of horse-drawn carriages, but city planners eventually realized the lost sense of enclosure harmed the city's character. They rebuilt this structure to restore the continuity of the historic stone walls.