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Origin and history

The island of Porquerolles, located 2.6 km southeast of the Giens peninsula, is the largest of the Hyères islands with 12.54 km2. Its relief peaks at 142 m in semaphore, and its coasts contrast between sandy beaches to the north and steep cliffs to the south. Owned by the State since 1971, it joined Port Cros National Park in 2012, protecting 75% of its territory. His ancient name, Hypaea, was given to him by Pline the Elder in the first century, while the Greeks called him Stoechades ("aligned"), with reference to his positioning with Port-Cros and the Levant.

The village of Porquerolles, founded around 1820, is organized around a rade, with the construction of the lighthouse (1837) and the church (1850). The island, occupied since ancient times by Celts, Ligures and Phoceans, is home to the remains of a Massaliot village in the Galery. The Romans left there thermal baths, a first century stele and an ancient village. In the fifth century, Saint Honorat founded a monastery linked to the abbey of Lérins, before Benedictines and Cistercians (including those of the Thoronet) disputed the property in the Middle Ages.

Strategic in the Mediterranean, Porquerolles was subjected to pirate raids at the end of the Roman Empire. In the 16th century, the knights of St John of Jerusalem, driven from Rhodes, considered settling there before choosing Malta. The island passes into the hands of noble families: the Forbin (1471), the Ornano (17th century), then the Mole under Louis XIV. In 1707 the Savoyards took it briefly during the Spanish Succession War. The Revolution saw its acquisition by the Marquant family after the emigration of the Lenoncourts, its lordly owners.

In the 19th century, industrialisation marked the island: a soda factory (1826-1876) in Langoustier, using the Leblanc process, was a long-lasting color of its black waste range. Purchased in 1856 by the Marquis de Caulaincourt, then in 1881 by Léon de Roussen, the island was finally acquired in 1912 by François Joseph Fournier, an engineer enriched in Mexican gold mines. He developed an independent farm until his death in 1935. In 1971, the State purchased 80 per cent of the territory and entrusted it to Port Cros National Park.

Today, Porquerolles is a preserved site, classified for its biodiversity (such as the Flax-leaved Genet, rare species) and its historical heritage (forts, estates, botanical conservatory). Tourism activities — hiking, mountain biking, diving — coexist with a flow regulation since 2020 to combat over-tourism. Its subtropical Mediterranean climate (16.8 °C annual average) and its varied landscapes make it a popular destination, despite ecological challenges such as pollution by sea sprays.

The island preserves traces of its military past, with Napoleonic fortifications (1848) and coastal batteries. Archaeological excavations also reveal Celtic, Liguria and Phocaean remains, while local legends, such as the Trou du Pirate (a gallery dug in the 16th century), recall the period of barbaric raids. Since 1979, the National Mediterranean Botanical Conservatory has studied endemic flora, strengthening its role as a natural and historical sanctuary.

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