The Roman Tower of the abbey summarizes the history of Jouarre. It has been marked by all the periods. Constructed toward the end of the XIth, or at the beginning of the XIIth century, the Tower rose on Carolingian ruins. At the origin, It was the bell-tower of the abbatial church. At the time of the Hundred Years War, at the beginning of the XVth century, the Tower was touched in the fire lit by the English partisans. Thereafter, It was restored, in the XVIth century, by Madeleine d'Orléans, that gave to its inside its Gothic shapes. Transformed in dwelling, annexed of a forge, at the Revolution, the Tower was in pitiable state in the XIXth century. It had lost its arrow thus. To save it, one decided the arraser of a floor, removing it thus close to five meters of height, then and giving him the massive silhouette that it has today. In spite of this loss of height, the building continues to offer a panorama of the most interesting. It acted thus as station of observation to the French artillery at the time of the Battle of the Marne, in September 1914..

Arch of the room of the Second Floor

Works led in the tower in the XVIth century gave inside this one some of its most beautiful architectural shapes. Thus, this beaming arch on pillars, that one can admire in the room of the second floor. To the center, one sees in key of arch the weapons of abbess Madeleine of Orleans (dead in 1543), that directed these works. On this blazon, supported by two lions, one distinguishes three flowers of Lily, that recall that the abbess was King François Ier's sister in law. These weapons also represent the key of the arch of the low room of the tower.