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Origin and history

The bastion Saint-André is a key element of the fortifications of Antibes, built at the end of the seventeenth century under the impulse of military engineers Vauban and Antoine Niquet. It is part of a vast programme of modernization of the coastal defences of Provence, then strategic border of the Kingdom of France against the Duchy of Savoie. This bastion, completed around 1710, integrated innovations such as casemates, glacis and powder shops, while leading to the destruction of ancient remains, including a Roman amphitheater still visible in 1608.

The origins of the Antibes fortifications date back to late antiquity, with a Roman enclosure remodeled in the Middle Ages. In the 16th century, Henry II and Henry IV initiated reinforcements, such as Fort Carré or the bastioned enclosure designed by the engineers Raymond and Jean de Bonnefons between 1603 and 1611. This work aimed to secure the Provençal border, which was then vulnerable to Savoyard incursions. The plans of Raymond de Bonnefons, challenged by Guillaume du Vair who advocated a concentration of efforts on Toulon, were finally validated by Sully in 1600.

Vauban played a decisive role in the evolution of the site during its inspections of 1682 and 1693. His first voyage, commanded by Colbert, focused on the port, whose excavation (completed in 1685) was compromised by a silt requiring corrections. In 1693 he proposed with Niquet to strengthen the seafront, leading to the construction of the Saint Andrew bastion, casemates and other military infrastructures between 1693 and 1710. These developments were accompanied by the partial demolition of the ramparts in the 19th century, after the decommissioning of the square in 1889 and the annexation of Nice County to France in 1860.

In the 20th century, the bastion Saint-André was converted into an archaeological museum in 1963, home to a collection initiated by Romuald Dor de la Souchère, the first curator of the Grimaldi museum. This monument, inscribed in the Historical Monuments since 1930, illustrates the evolution of French fortification techniques, Renaissance engineers in Vauban, as well as the geopolitical stakes of pre-modern Provence.

The original enclosure had three distinct fronts: the seafront with four bastions (Rosny, Guise, Royal, Dauphin), the port front centered on the stronghold of the Navy, and the landfront, partially demolished in the 19th century. Among the remains preserved are the Royal Gate (classified in 1928), the Saint-André bastion in rubble, and elements of the maritime front, such as the Marine Gate or the Saint-Jaume bastion. These structures reflect the successive adaptations to military and urban needs, from the religious conflicts of the 16th century to the loss of their strategic utility after 1860.

Future

The Saint Andrew bastion became the archaeological museum of Antibes.

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