A street steeped in history
The Cours Honoré d’Estienne d’Orves has undergone numerous transformations over the centuries. At the end of the 15th century, King Charles VIII decided to have the first tercenal built there in 1488 to house an arsenal for the galleys. A few years later, in 1494, he had the complex extended with six new tercenaux intended to house, maintain and arm the royal galleys. In 1512, Louis XII ordered the construction of twelve further tercenaux, but only six were ultimately built.
In 1529, whilst Emperor Charles V was laying siege to Marseille, François I strengthened the kingdom’s naval power by commissioning the construction of thirteen new galleys to defend the city. More than a century later, in 1646, the Brothers of Saint Vincent de Paul founded the hospital for convicts, intended to house those sentenced to serve on the galleys.
In the early 18th century, the district continued to develop. In 1702, an inland canal was dug. Initially called the Darse, it was renamed the Canal de la Douane in 1780. Its course followed what is now the Place aux Huiles and the Cours Jean-Ballard. Five years later, in 1707, the Galley Arsenal was completed. The site then became the largest arsenal in the Kingdom of France, capable of accommodating up to 40 galleys, nearly 8,000 convicts and a large royal garrison.
