Fort Saint-Jean, Marseille

Fort Saint-Jean, established in 1660 by king Louis XIV, is one of Marseille’s most formidable fortifications. Its construction incorporated two earlier structures: the 12th-century Commandery of the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John of Jerusalem, which once served as a monastic hospice during the Crusades, and the 15th-century tower of René I, King of Provence.

In April 1790, Fort Saint-Jean was seized by a revolutionary mob that executed the commander of the royal garrison. During the French Revolution, the fort was converted into a prison and held several prominent figures, including Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, and his sons Louis-Charles, Count of Beaujolais, and Antoine Philippe, Duke of Montpensier. Following Robespierre’s downfall in 1794, around one hundred Jacobin prisoners—members of a radical political faction during the Revolution—detained in the fort were brutally massacred.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Fort Saint-Jean remained under the control of the French Army, serving as both a barracks and a clearing station for troops bound for North Africa. During World War II, it was occupied by German forces, and in August 1944, as Marseille was liberated, a massive ammunition explosion devastated much of the fort’s historic structure.

Recognized as a Historic Monument in 1964, Fort Saint-Jean underwent extensive reconstruction between 1967 and 1971. Today, it forms part of the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations complex.