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Origin and history

The Fort of the Repentance was built on the island of Porquerolles (comune of Hyères, Var) from 1880, as part of the coastal defensive system designed by General Séré de Rivières. Initially planned to counter an enemy landing, it was to protect the parades of Porquerolles and Dyères with guns of 190 mm, then 240 mm. The work, led by Captain Marinier, evolved into two semi-entered batteries with ditches and bastionnets, adapted to the island's isolation.

In 1885, the appearance of torpedo shells made existing fortifications obsolete, leading to the construction of an additional battery equipped with 6 95 mm reinforced concrete cannons. Between 1888 and 1894, underground powder shops were dug to secure ammunition. Unarmed in 1914, the fort did not undergo any major changes thereafter. It was listed as a historical monument on 20 January 1989.

Since the 1990s, the fort has been home to the Romanian Orthodox monastery Sainte-Marie du Désert, run by the monastic community of the parish of Jean Cassien in Aix-en-Provence. The restoration work, conducted under the direction of Father Vasile (successor of Father Séraphin), allowed to preserve this military heritage while giving it a spiritual vocation. The site remains a unique testimony to the defensive architecture of the 19th century and its contemporary reconversion.

The initial project, validated in 1881, responded to an 1859 report highlighting the vulnerability of the Hyères Islands to enemy occupation. The Coastal Defence Commission, established in 1872, had identified Porquerolles as a strategic point for controlling maritime access. The batteries, designed to withstand isolation, integrated shelters, tanks and bakeries, forming an autonomous base. Their early obsolescence reflects the rapid evolution of military technology in the late 19th century.

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