Photo : Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)
Fort Saint-Nicolas (Marseille)
Strategically located on the south bank of the entrance to Marseille's Old Port, Fort Saint-Nicolas takes the form of a double enclosure with moats and bastions. In 1660, Marseille was subjected to royal power after the attack of an army of 7,000 men commanded by the Duke of Mercœur. Louis XIV then decided to build Fort Saint-Nicolas to protect the roadstead of Marseille. But this construction was above all a means for him to control a city that had long been hostile to him. The work was carried out according to the "star" plans of the Maréchal des Camps and Commissioner General of Fortifications, Louis Nicolas de Clerville. It was completed in 1664. Vauban then had added the grazing batteries and the fausse-braie still seen today around the lower fort.
