Hiding in plain sight, sandwiched amongst Haussmann buildings on the right bank, is one of Paris’ grandest but littlest-known surviving medieval towers– and former home of one of the city’s more villainous citizens, Jean the Fearless. The Tour de Jean Sans Peur has been lurching over the heart of the city since 1411, but it took even us a while to realise that this sleeping giant is open to the public, ready to spill its beautiful, bloody and downright bizarre secrets for those willing to peek inside…
Jean the Fearless was basically your textbook-shady medieval character, and “one of the more dramatic and puzzling characters among rulers,” according to his biographer, Richard Vaughan. If there’s one consensus amongst historians, it’s that there was just not that much to like about Jean…
As the second Duke of Burgundy, he divided the country when he had his own cousin Louis, the Duke of Orléans, murdered on rue Vieille du Temple in Paris (today a trendy street for the fashion set). It was a brutal power move, and if King Charles VI hadn’t been mentally ill he likely would’ve condemned it— but Jean was a master manipulator, and convinced the unstable King it was for the better. Oh yeah, he also had an affair with the King’s wife.
In other words, you didn’t want to get on his bad side. In the words of a museum guide, Jean’s motto was simply je le tiens — “I have him” — in reference not only to the murder of his cousin, but a nod to his thirst to dominate Paris.
An invitation into his private tower, which he built two years after Louis’ death as an addition to the larger Hôtel de Bourgogne, became a flashy way to assert his power over the city. Back then, it would’ve dominated the skyline.
Today, it’s the last vestige of the larger Hôtel de Bourgogne…
Although rather sparse as a museum, it offers the eerie experience of having a medieval tower likely all to yourself in the heart of town, because it simply hasn’t blipped the tourist radar. You’ll enter at its base by an engraving of the site, and climb the staircase all the way to the attic…
Take a breather to admire the stained-glass windows bearing the emblem of Jean — yet another stamp of his propaganda, and keep an eye open for remnants of the original floor tiles decorated with la Margueritte, a flower named after his late mother.
If there is one surprising take-away that the tower tells us about Jean, it’s that he had excellent taste. The tower’s crown jewel is the intricately carved, vaulted ceiling in the stairwell, whose intertwining ‘oak’ limbs represented both the strength of his family tree and, says the museum’s guide, “the extent of his power stretching over France.” At the time, they would’ve been brightly painted:
You’ll make your way in and out of the now empty rooms that once housed his once luxurious bedrooms and bathrooms, and past some pretty wonky mannequins with medieval-inspired outfits.
Of the lot of wonky mannequins, the winner is obviously this head-to-toe hair outfit, which would’ve been worn to a masquerade ball.
The attic level is filled with more information on medieval dress and ways of life, and in the basement there are rotating exhibits on the era (currently on view is “Love in the Middle Ages.”)
This is the room in which Jean received visitors, and with a little imagination, you can still envision the fireplace roaring, the walls covered in tapestries, and Jean seated at the end…
Jean’s tower is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 1:30pm to 6:00pm, at 20 rue Etienne Marcel at the cost of €6. There’s also a private, leafy courtyard at the entry, so pack a little picnic.
Learn more on the tower’s official website.
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