La Grosse Cloche is one of two medieval gates that survive in Bordeaux. It was built in the fifteenth century. The name means Large or Fat Bell and refers to the enormous bell housed in the belfry. The magistrates sounded the bell to signal the arrival of the grape harvest season or to alert the public in case of a fire or attack. The Bordelais were very attached to the bell so that the French kings could use it as a punishment. In 1548, Henry II removed the bell to chastise the residents of Bordeaux for their participation in the Revolt of the Pitauds, which broke out when the authorities attempted to tax the sale of salt. The subsequent good behaviour of the Bordelais persuaded the king to return the bell. The gate was also known as the Porte Saint-Éloy (from a nearby church) or Porte Saint-James (because it was on the way to the shrine of Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela).