The history
of fort Saint-Nicolas

In 1660, following various tensions between the consuls governing the city and the royal authority, the young King Louis XIV, eager to prevent any future rebellion and assert his authority, ordered the construction of a citadel and the expansion of fort Saint-Jean on the other side of the harbor. An army of 7,000 men commanded by the Duke of Mercoeur was deployed to surround the city and subdue it. The construction of a citadel "in the place of the city deemed most suitable" would allow for the surveillance of the city and guard against attacks from abroad, while maintaining sea communication with the outside.

The creation of the Citadel

The design and supervision of the fort's construction were entrusted to the renowned military engineer, Chevalier Louis-Nicolas de Clerville, appointed Commissioner General of Fortifications by Mazarin.

The chosen location is the site of Saint-Nicolas, at the entrance of the port, endowed with a freshwater fountain and occupied by a medieval chapel belonging to the Abbey of Saint-Victor. The approximately 6-hectare land was deemed sufficient "to forever maintain the authority of the king." On the first stone laid on February 11, 1660, by the Duke of Mercœur, the King had inscribed:

"Lest faithful Marseille, too often prey to the criminal agitations of a few, finally lose the city and the kingdom, by the impetuosity of the boldest or by an excessive passion for freedom, Louis XIV has provided, by constructing this Citadel, for the safety of the great and the people..."

The royal inscription expresses the desire to protect Marseille from potential upheavals and to ensure the security of the kingdom.

Despite the complexity of the project and the location on a rocky promontory 50 meters above sea level, construction was completed in a record time of four years. The citadel follows the model of bastioned fortifications with a double-walled "star" plan, adapting to the terrain's relief and surrounded by a retrenchment envelope. Composed of two distinct sets in pink stone from the Crown, the "upper fort" or "citadel Saint-Nicolas" and the "lower fort" which extends towards the port entrance, the citadel was completed in 1664, symbolizing the monarchic power of Louis XIV.

In addition to the construction of the citadel Saint-Nicolas and the enlargement of fort Saint-Jean in response, effectively blocking the port entrance, the king made a series of decisions that significantly altered the appearance and scale of the city. The design of a new galley arsenal spread over nearly 10 hectares, located southeast of the port on the new bank, and the expansion of Marseille through extensive urban planning, increased the city's area from 70 to 195 hectares. The fortifications extended from fort Saint-Jean to fort Saint-Nicolas and now entirely surrounded the port.

During the 18th century, the fort served as barracks for garrisons, housing military facilities dedicated to the daily life of soldiers and command. It was equipped with a mill with bakery, barracks, cisterns and wells, a powder magazine, and a chapel, thus ensuring its autonomy. In addition to its logistical utility, the fort also served as a military prison.

During the period preceding the French Revolution, the citadel was under the command of a major, Chevalier de La Rocque, assisted by Chevalier Jean-Louis Marion. In 1790, only one regiment occupied the citadel and fort Saint-Jean. During the night of April 29 to 30, 1790, a small group animated by revolutionary ideas formed and captured the fort of Notre-Dame de la Garde before presenting themselves before the citadel. The garrison mutinied, and the Major decided to hand over the citadel to the city. Symbolically considered the equivalent of the Bastille in Paris, the citadel was surrendered to the population on May 18, who began its demolition. The dismantling was then entrusted to quarry workers or masons. The National Assembly issued a decree on May 28, ordering the workers to stop demolition on June 1. Demolitions focused on the eastern front of the upper fort and extended to the northern front, where the citadel's artillery could directly bombard the city with its shots.

The upper fort, now easily accessible and difficult to monitor, suffers from acts of looting and gradually deteriorates, as indicated in successive reports from the Military Engineering Corps. In contrast, the lower fort is protected by the troops stationed there.

In 1794, Bonaparte, who had become Inspector of the Mediterranean Coasts, noted the vulnerability of the citadel, parts of which had been demolished, compromising its defense. He suggested repairs, including raising one of the walls, but these recommendations were not followed.

In 1798, despite the appointment of Félix Bacciochi, Bonaparte's brother-in-law, as commander of the citadel, no significant measures were taken to restore its defensive function. Thus, the revolutionary period left tangible traces on the state and structure of the citadel Saint-Nicolas.

It wasn't until 1818 that a true restoration project of the citadel, now named fort Saint-Nicolas, was proposed to secure the surroundings of the fort and rehabilitate its buildings. The extensive campaign of restoration and improvement began in 1824. The project aimed to restore the damaged ramparts, adapt the citadel to advances in weaponry, and modernize the facilities. The Military Engineering Corps analyzed possible attacks from different points, adjusting the heights of the ramparts to counter artillery fire as the range of cannons had significantly increased since the 17th century, from 300m to 1000m. A new powder magazine inside the fort was also built at the request of the municipality, which demanded the relocation of the main powder magazine, too close to the port. The restoration, spanning several years, significantly altered the original silhouette of the citadel while preserving the readability of the 17th-century parts and subsequent modifications.

In 1862, the citadel underwent a major transformation with the construction of a boulevard that divided it in two, facilitating the connection between the port and the developing neighborhood of Catalans. This initiative was part of an urbanization context, marked notably by the beginning of the construction of the Pharo Palace in 1858. To allow the boulevard to open to traffic, buildings of the citadel located on the route of the future road were demolished, and the construction was made in a trench through the rocky spur. A new gate with its guardhouse was built at the top of a ramp to access the upper part, and a setback gate was erected to serve the lower part. In 1887, the military authorities renamed the upper fort Saint-Nicolas, which became fort d'Entrecasteaux, in honor of a French navigator. At the same time, the lower fort Saint-Nicolas was now called fort Ganteaume, in tribute to a former vice admiral and maritime prefect of Toulon.

During the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, the fort was largely used as a military prison. Between 1852 and 1927, more and more spaces were dedicated to this function, and a military tribunal was established in fort Ganteaume. Improvements were made to make the living conditions of the prisoners more acceptable, including the construction of bays, latrines, fountains, and washhouses. Continuous efforts were made to accommodate more prisoners, with the arrangement of additional cells.

During World War II, the fort played a crucial role and became a place of internment for political prisoners between 1939 and 1942, and then under German occupation from November 1942 to the end of August 1944.

Jean Giono was imprisoned there in 1939 as a conscientious objector, and the future President of Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba, was interned from May 1939 to November 1942 with members of the Neo-Destour, a Tunisian independence party. Approximately 400 resistance fighters and opponents of the Vichy regime were imprisoned there, including former Minister of the Popular Front, Jean Zay, who was interned from December 4, 1940, to January 7, 1941, before being transferred to the Riom House of Detention.

The German occupation from November 1942 transformed the fort into a link in the Mediterranean Wall (Sudwall). Anti-aircraft defense units were installed on the bastions, reinforced concrete platforms were erected to support machine guns, an observation room was built, and significant galleries were dug, connecting to the basin dock. 

During the Liberation of Marseille, between August 23 and 28, 1944, the fort played an active role. On August 23, its cannons fired on the Canebière and the Vieux-Port, blocking the advance of Algerian riflemen. On August 27, a few hours before the general surrender of the German garrison, the fort was taken by Moroccan goumiers, resulting in the capture of 300 prisoners. From September 1944, the fort resumed its function as a military prison, marking the end of its direct involvement in the events of World War II.

During the second half of the 20th century, the fort underwent a series of transformations and diverse uses. Initially, several projects aimed at converting the entrance of the fort into a military memorial were proposed, leading to adjustments in 1954 to transform the tower of the old windmill and create a monument to the Resistance. These works involved the demolition of the old chapel, the creation of a grand staircase, and the monumentalization of the path.

From 1960, the fort housed the 3rd company of the 45th Signals Regiment, and the underground tunnels became a listening center in the 1970s. Between 1962 and 1974, the Foreign Legion Group Purchasing Service and the Military Engineering Archives Service also occupied the fort, using the civilian powder magazine as military archives. Transformations were made to adapt the fort to new uses and living conditions.

The construction of the tunnel under the Vieux-Port between 1964 and 1967 resulted in significant changes on the east side of the fort, with the creation of a new access ramp and adjustments to the retaining wall.

On January 14, 1969, the entire citadel, including the upper and lower forts, was classified as Historical Monuments. From 1978, military veterinarians occupied the fort, which became a department of the Institute of Tropical Medicine of the Armed Forces Health Service (IMTSSA). Laboratories were set up for researchers who remained at the fort until its transfer to the city in 2010.

Between 1988 and 1994, fort Ganteaume was renovated to accommodate the Garrison Mixed Mess, involving restoration supported by the Ministry of Culture. From 1996, maintenance of the two forts was carried out through youth work projects, with restoration work on fort d'Entrecasteaux undertaken, including highlighting the ramparts with lighting in partnership with the city for Marseille's "2,600 years" celebration. Since 2002, the insertion project of the Acta Vista association, specializing in the restoration of heritage buildings, has occupied the site and carried out the restoration of Fort d'Entrecasteaux.

In December 2010, the city became the owner of the entire Fort d'Entrecasteaux. The military definitively left the site in 2012, leaving the laboratories of the upper fort and the transmission center equipment in the accessible underground passages from the careening basin. However, this equipment is obsolete and degraded. The city renewed Acta Vista for ongoing work. In parallel, in 2019, it undertook the restoration of the ramparts overlooking the retaining wall of Boulevard Charles Livon. The windmill lost its function as a war memorial.

In 2017, a call for projects for the conversion and enhancement of the building, based on a pre-program, was launched by the city. The proposal from the Groupe SOS was selected, giving rise to the association "la Citadelle de Marseille," tasked with carrying out this project. Acta Vista remains on the site. On December 8, 2021, a 40-year lease was signed between the municipality of Marseille and the SOS Culture group for the benefit of the association "la Citadelle de Marseille," with the objective of restoring the fort and gradually opening it to the public.

The Citadelle de Marseille remains a unique witness to the history of Marseille, a place where traces of the past mix with forwardlooking projects, ready to offer a new cultural and heritage life to this Citadel filled with history.