The porte Cailhau was a defensive gate and a triumphal arch built in 1495 to commemorate the victory of the French king Charles VIII (1470-1498) at the battle of Fornovo in Italy on 6 July 1495. It was the main entrance to the city from the port. The tower’s name means pebble (calhau in Gascon) and refers to the fact that the quay leading to the river was the first to be paved with river pebbles. The influential medieval bourgeois family of Cailhau or Caillau lived nearby, and many mayors of Bordeaux came from its ranks. The monument’s defensive character is evident in the battlements, portcullis, and loopholes. The arrow slits face both the river and the city and the elegant turrets, the slender roof, and the flamboyant canopies above the niches over the doors have a typically Renaissance decorative character.