If castle

A citadel  to protect Marseille

The Mediterranean sea contributes to Marseille prosperity but was  also at the origin of tragic events.The city was besieged by the armies of the Holy Roman Empire in 1524 and only saved by its walls and the announcement of the  arrival of French reinforcements

François Ier,aware of strategic importance of the  city (prosperous port open to the  Mediterranean Sea), decide to  reinforce its defenses by  building an impregnable fortress on a islet beaten by the ‘Mistral’ but occupying a strategic position on the access road to the calanque of the  Lacydon  this massive and powerfully armed fortress  had  a triple function :

        Prevent an enemy fleet from invading the city by the sea, as was the case in 1423 by Aragonese troops.

• To protect the royal arsenals, and to  cover the  exits and entrances of galleys anchored there
• To reinforce the Royal hold, on a proud and independant minded city, which  became a part of the  kingdom at the end of the 15th century at the  same time as Provence.

Fortifications had been reinforced in 1702 by Vauban which included the  construction of  low coastal batteries and a new  barracks. This exceptional military architectural ensemble was classified as a historical monument on July 7th 1926.

A prison state where no one can escape

If castle is assigned with a new mission in the service of the  royal security, then imperial and republican. These massive walls prevent unwanted visitors from entering, but  also from  escaping when you  stay there. Surrounded by the sea, If castle is definitely an impregnable prison.  Prisoners should break their chain first, force the doors and walls, then  diving into a rough sea and manage to  swim 1.5 km in the midst of currents while escaping the  vigilence of the guardian!

Opponents of the regime had been locked up there between 1480 and 1871. The château d’If thus welcomed Protestants during the Wars of Religion, and Republicans after the riots of 1848 and the coup d’état of December 2, 1851 led by the future Napoleon III.

A  visit to the dungeon of the  Chateau d’If bears witness to the prisons past. During your walk in the heart of the building, you will be able to observe engravings made by former prisoners.

The famous prisoners of If Castle

If Castle had  been home to several historical characters involved  in the history  of Marseille and France. Jean Baptiste Chateau, the  commander of the grand Saint-Antoine, the  ship that brought the  great plague of 1720 to Marseille, was  incarcerated here. The prison also housed Louis Auguste Blanqui, the Famous anarchist and author of the newspaper ‘Ni Dieu ni Maitre‘ whose name continues to embody the values of this movement.

Fiction and Legend have also made their way into the walls of Chateau d’If  .Edmond Dantès, the vengeful hero of the novel The count of Monte Cristo was  imprisoned in the chateau d’if by the pen of Alexandre Dumas. Tradition will tell us that the man in the iron mask, the unknown and mysterious prisoner whose  identity and secrets could have shaken the throne of Louis XIV stayed there. The film The Man in the Iron Mask released in 1998 in which the  famous Leonardo Di Caprio and Gérard Depardieu starred comes to mind.

Where does the story end ? When does legend begin? You need to make up your own opinion during your  visit to the Chateau d’If.