Click to enlarge and  sweep with mouse  to see 2nd picture

ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS THE CITY'S FORTIFICATIONS Drawings and detailed notes provided an unprecedented record of the different construction projects in the fortified town. The architect introduced a new approach to the fortress by making a detailed study of them so that the restoration would be the result of an intimate knowledge of the structure. Viollet-le-Duc did exceptional work, making use of every visible mark in the masonry that could lead to clearer knowledge of the edifice: notches, ironwork, bedding grooves. Based on these indications which were at times tenuous, he established the principles for the restoration of the fortress, using as his point of reference the appearance given it by the royal engineers in the XIIIth Century. In 1853, as a result of his archaeological analysis of the city, Viollet-le-Duc presented his proposal for the project and a first estimate for the restoration. The restoration work from 1853 to 1862 was based on this estimate. Also, this research provided a considerable part of the material on which his study of the art of warfare in the Middle Ages and his Dictionnaire raisonné de l'architecture française du XIe au XVIe siècle were based.   Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, drawing. Click to enlarge

The fortifications seen from the west side. Existing state and restoration plan. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, 1853, pen-and-ink, wash and water colour.    The fortifications seen from the east side. Existing state and restoration plan. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, 1853, pen-and-ink, wash and water colour.         The battle on the ramparts. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, water-colour.