Fort Saint-Nicolas

History of Fort Saint Nicolas

This is the Fort located on the left when facing the Old Port. Fort Saint Nicolas is a military structure that served not so much to protect the city against invasions, but rather to protect itself from the people of Marseille and their independent and rebellious spirit. It faces the Fort Saint Jean, located on the other side of the Old Port. It is a witness to the history of Marseille.

Thus, in 1660, following a series of political disturbances and subsequent revolts, Louis XIV ordered the dispatch of troops and the construction of a citadel "in the place of the city that will be deemed most suitable", that is, to allow the surveillance of the city but also its defense against an attack coming from the sea.

The current location was therefore chosen, behind the Saint Victor Abbey. On March 2, 1660, the construction site was launched during the King's visit. Given the scale of the project and the nature of the building, the construction was completed in record time, in just 4 years.

During the French Revolution, fearing the threat, both physical and symbolic, that the Fort Saint Nicolas could represent, the crowd began to destroy it. But the National Assembly, concerned with preserving a structure for the defense of the city, ordered the demolition of the fortress to be stopped and undertook its restoration. In 1860, Fort Saint Nicolas was split in two by the layout of the new Charles Livon Boulevard.

Today, the fortress is still in two parts, the portion bordering the sea was named Fort Ganteaume and houses the military circle and the officers' mess. The part on the land side, the high fort, is called Fort d’Entrecasteaux. Only a part of the complex is open to the public and can be visited. It's an opportunity to climb the ramparts of this Monument of Marseille and admire the superb view they offer of the harbor and the city of Marseille. The entire site has been classified as a Historical Monument since 1969.