The bell tower of the basilica Notre-Dame in Dole rises to 239.5 feet (73 m), making it the highest bell tower in Franche-Comté. It was built in the middle of the 16th century at a time when the fact that it could serve as a lookout was one of the key arguments for its construction. The first plans of the church foresaw a bell tower in the center of the building whereas it now rises above the western tower. The higher initial bell tower was destroyed by the French artillery in 1636, during the siege of Dole by the troops of the Prince of Condé. This one takes up its four small pinnacles.