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Cogolin's clock tower and surrounding wall formed a defensive system that encompassed the village's dwellings and the château seigneurial. This gate tower, dating from the late 11th - early 15th centuries, was one of the entrances to the village. Access was via a ramp and drawbridge over a moat. A portcullis protected the village in case of danger. The tower was built of basalt, the grey-black, honeycombed lava rock on which the village of Cogolin was founded. In the early 15th century, Cogolin had a population of around 500. In the 2nd half of the 16th century, a clock was installed at the top of this tower. A person, usually a locksmith, was appointed and paid by the community to "conduct the orologe". This fragile device operated with a counterweight and required regular repairs. The hours were rung by a bell dated 1587. During the French Revolution, this bell was saved because it was part of a civil building. As such, it was not melted down to serve as a cannon for the Republic. Today, it stands in the bell tower of the parish church. Its Latin dedication, "Sancta Maria ora pro nobis", means "Holy Mary, pray for us". As early as 1911, the town council considered the purchase of a new clock, which was installed on the pediment of the town hall in 1930.