Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The staircase of the King of Aragon is a unique architectural structure, carved directly in the limestone cliff of Bonifacio, south of Corsica. Composed of 187 to 189 steps according to the sources, it follows a slope of about 45° to connect the citadel to the cave Saint-Barthélémy, located 15 meters above sea level. This staircase, visible from the sea as a dark line on the rock, provides access to a source of drinking water, essential for the inhabitants and defenders of the city.

According to legend, the staircase was dug in one night by the Spaniards during the siege of Bonifacio in 1420, led by Alphonse V of Aragon and Vincentello of Istria. In reality, Franciscan monks are the real artisans, building over a longer period to facilitate access to water. The resistance of the Genoese colony to the Aragonese, who besieged the city for five months, marked a key episode in its history.

In the 19th century, a well was built above the Saint-Barthélémy cave, equipped with a bucket chain system operated by a wind turbine and then by a noria driven by a donkey. This mechanism allowed the water to rise slightly brackish to a 21,700 litre tank near the well tower. The stairway, owned by the department, is now classified as a historical monument, with registration orders in 1994, 2023 and a planned classification in 2025.

The building is part of a larger fortified complex, including the citadel of Bonifacio, its ramparts, bastions and glacis. These elements, inscribed in the Historic Monuments, testify to the strategic importance of the city, located in the Bouches de Bonifacio, a strait separating Corsica from Sardinia. The staircase, open all year round, remains a symbol of medieval ingenuity and Corsican resistance.

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