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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château Sainte-Agathe, located on the island of Porquerolles (Commune of Hyères), is a military structure mainly composed of a two-level cylindrical artillery tower, an irregular pentagonal enclosure and a rectangular advance. The tower, vaulted in spherical dome, communicates with a top platform via an oculus and a screw staircase. The whole, surrounded by ditches and equipped with a drawbridge, reflects a defensive architecture adapted to the maritime threats of the time.

The construction of the fort was generally attributed to Francis I around 1531, in a context of fighting piracy and naval rivalries in the Mediterranean. Represented in atlases of the 16th and 17th centuries (notably those of the Duke of Savoie and Louis XIII), the castle underwent minor modifications before being ravaged by the English in 1793 during their evacuation from the island. Between 1812 and 1814, under Napoleon I, the buildings were rebuilt and vaulted, and a powder shop was added. An advance was built between 1829 and 1831, before the fort was decommissioned in 1875. Ranked a historic monument in 1927, it now belongs to the state.

The site now houses exhibitions on the architecture of the fort, the history of Porquerolles, and island biodiversity. Guided tours, organized by the Port-Cros National Park, provide access to the tower with panoramic views of the Hyères harbour. The fort thus illustrates the evolution of coastal defensive strategies from the Renaissance to the 19th century.

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