An orillon, also known as an orillion, is an

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

element of a military

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. The ear-shaped projection of

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

provided defense for guns and soldiers at the flank of a

bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

. However, an orillon could also shield a

city gate A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. It is a type of fortified gateway. Uses City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods ...

Description

An orillon ''(link below)'', sometimes referred to as an orillion, is an architectural element of a fortification. It is an ear-shaped masonry projection from the end of the face of a bastion. The curve of an orillon is convex and it may be semi-circular or squared-off in shape. It provides defense for guns and soldiers on the flank, and may cover a retired flank. The French ''orillon'' ( en, little ear) is a diminutive which derives from the French ''oreille'' ( en, ear). An orillon was generally built at the flank of a bastion, close to the adjacent

defensive wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

. The position permitted the cannons to be set back into the bastion. The projecting masonry shielded the gun and soldiers. Additional protection was sometimes provided by lowering the gun platform in the bastion ''(link below)''. An orillon could also shield a city gate. An example is the Prince Edward's Gate ''(pictured in map at right)'' in the

Charles V Wall The Charles V Wall is a 16th-century defensive curtain wall that forms part of the fortifications of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Originally called ''Muralla de San Benito'' (English: St. Benedict's Wall), it was built in 1540 ...

in the

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

. Examples of bastions that have orillons include the

Flat Bastion Flat Bastion is a bastion which projects southward from the Charles V Wall in the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Once known as the St. Jago's Bastion or the Baluarte de Santiago in Spanish language, Spani ...

( es, Baluarte de Santiago) and the South Bastion ( es, Baluarte de Nuestra Señora del Rosario) in Gibraltar. The two bastions along the Charles V Wall each have an orillon and a retired flank on their opposing faces, the west wall for the Flat Bastion and the east wall for the South Bastion ''(pictured at right)''. Usually, however, orillons were built on both flanks of a bastion.

References

External links

Photo and diagram of orillons
{{Fortifications Fortification (architectural elements)