Château d'If and the Forts of Marseille

A focal point of tourism for
its panorama over the Marseille
roadstead, the Château d'If
was built during François I's
reign. The inhabitants of
Marseille long considered it
to be a first, arbitrary attempt by the monarchy
to control their formerly independent city, even
before the Frioul forts were built by Henri IV
and above all Fort Saint-Jean and Fort Saint-Nicolas
by Louis XIV. It is a little-appreciated
monument, archaic in its still medieval form,
but modern in its role in the defence of the
kingdom's coastline. Its function as a prison
pushed its military role into the shade at an
early date: for three hundred years, the castle
served as a prison for both the famous and the
unknown. Last but not least, since Dumas and
The Count of Monte Cristo, it is pre-eminently
the site of a literary myth, its identity laden
with an imaginary reality.

The "Itinéraires" series, designed as a guide
for cultural tourism, invites the visitor
to discover the highroads and byways
of France's national heritage.

Product details

• Authors: Jean-Paul (1953-....) Brighelli, Nicolas Faucherre, Nicolas (1957-....) Faucherre, Faucherre Brighelli, FAUCHERRE/BRIGHELLI, François Billou, Jean-Paul Brighelli, NICOLAS FAUCHERRE
• Publisher: Editions du patrimoine
• Languages: French
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 16.10.2008
• EAN: 9782858228423
• ISBN: 978-2-85822-842-3
• No. of pages: 55
• Weight: 124 g
• Series: ITINERAIRES PATRIMOINE; Itinéraires du patrimoine; Itinéraires du patrimoine, n° 246; Itinéraires du patrimoine, n° 233; Itinéraires du patrimoine, n° 198; Itinéraires du patrimoine, n° 130; Itinéraires du patrimoine, n° 127; Itinéraires du patrimoine; Itinéraires du patrimoine, n° 233; Itinéraires du patrimoine, n° 198
• Subject: Travel > Travel guides