Built in the 15th century, the belfry of Besse-et-Sainte-Anastaise was the checkpoint for the entry of men and goods into the medieval city of the Puy-de-Dôme department. It used to form a right-angled passage preceded by a barbican with a chicane. It was pierced by four embrasures for guns that offered a covered salient point. The ensemble was lockable by a portcullis, now disappeared, housed in the grooves of two parallel arches.