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Origin and history

Enet Fort is a fortification located on a rock between Fouras and the island of Aix, in Charente-Maritime. Originally, this site probably housed a medieval chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame, mentioned as a bird sanctuary in 1715. The rock, named Saint Sunon d'Enet on the map of Cassini (18th century), became a strategic issue after the Battle of Aix in 1809, where the English threatened the Rochefort arsenal, created in 1666.

The construction of the fort, ordered by Napoleon I, began in 1809 to control the north-east access of the Rochefort harbour, in addition to the batteries on the island of Aix and Fouras. Initially summative (half circle with two buildings and a mound of land), he was armed in 1811. Between 1848 and 1850, stone casemates were added, but the evolution of artillery quickly made them obsolete. A last modernization at the end of the 19th century added modern cannons and concrete cover.

The fort served briefly as a prison for commoners (1871) and bagnards in transit at the beginning of the 20th century. Decommissioned before World War I, it was sold to private individuals in the 1960s. Ranked a historic monument in 1994, it has been visited partially since 1996, with the exception of private areas. A tide gauge was installed there in 1859 to measure sea level, before being transferred to Fort Boyard in 1873.

Architecturally, the fort is distinguished by its aesthetic simplicity and curved battery shape, closed by a spur. Its powder shop, dating from 1810, is the only vestige of the first construction campaign. The successive modifications, notably after artillery tests in 1863, gave it its present appearance, marked by a rectangular building buried under embankments.

Strategically, the Fort d'Enet illustrates French coastal defence efforts after the English attacks during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) and under Napoleon. Its positioning allowed to cross the shots with those of Aix Island and the dread of the Aiguille à Fouras, locking access to the Rochefort arsenal. Today, it offers a panoramic view of a dock full of history.

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