The 12th century Porte Sarrasine on the east side of the town was on the medieval route linking Brignoles to Grasse and was frequented by merchants, pilgrims and soldiers. The name of the gate does not actually refer to it being a defence against the Saracens, rather to the fact that it was protected by a portcullis (la sarrasine). It was part of the town defences built by the Knights Templar, and this gate allowed entry to a ‘barn’ in which they stored the crops of their local tenants.
The pointed archway is surmounted by a niche sheltering a statue of the Virgin Mary. In the public passageway, the slots for the portcullis and various closing mechanisms can be seen intact. On the inside is another niche containing a statue of the town’s patron saint, Saint Ferréol.
