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Origin and history

The fort of Alès, often attributed to Vauban although he had never worked there, was built between 1686 and 1688 on the hill of La Roque, overlooking the city. This project, led by intendant Basville after the revocation of the edict of Nantes (1685), aimed to control the Cevenole Protestant assemblies. François Ferry, chief engineer and student of Vauban, supervised the work, while Michel Raulet recruited local workers. The fort replaced the ruins of the Comtal and Baronial castles, as well as the Capuchin convent, whose stones were reused.

Designed in the shape of a U, the fort housed two houses: one for the governor and staff, the other for the garrison and the Protestant prisoners. Its defensive enclosure consisted of six bastions, forty gunfires, a ditch, and a main door covered by a half moon. The Sainte-Anne Tower and the Barons' Castle were demolished, with only a 13th-century gate preserved. As early as 1688, a royal garrison was established there, marking its repressive role in the region.

After the Revolution, the fort became a national prison (1789), and was partially ceded to the city of Alès in 1810 to establish charitable workshops and civilian prisons. Conflicts of ownership between the state, the city and the Gard department multiplied in the 19th century, notably after its transformation into a prison (1830-1990). The fort also served as barracks, gymnasium (1880), and later housed a museum and library. Despite his name, he is the work of François Ferry, inspired by Vauban's principles.

The site, which was partially classified as Historical Monuments in 1973 (bastions, scauguettes, door), was the scene of tensions between its prison and public uses. The prison closed permanently in 1990, but the department of Gard still owns it. The ditches and some bastions (such as those of the Roque or the Capuchins) remain, although the advanced works have disappeared with the development of public gardens.

The fort symbolizes the religious struggles of the Cevennes: a place of repression after the edict of Nantes, he also imprisoned resistance during the two world wars. Its architecture, although typical of the Vauban system (star, bastions), reflects the local adaptations by Ferry, without direct intervention by the master. Today, it embodies a complex military and memorial heritage, between repressive heritage and civilian appropriation.

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