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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint-Louis Tower was built in 1737 in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, Bouches-du-Rhône, thanks to a salt tax introduced in 1723 by a decree of the King's Council. This tax taxed salt transiting through the Rhône to provinces such as Rouergue, Auvergne or Provence. The tower, originally located at the mouth of the river, served as a guard post, lighthouse and refuge for residents. It was part of a network of towers along the Rhone, designed to monitor river traffic and protect local populations.

The natural evolution of the coast gradually moved away from the mouth tower: as early as 1772, it was several hundred meters from the river, and today, nearly 7 km apart from the Rhone. The tower, with a square base (9.65 m side) and 15 m high, was designed by military engineer Philippe Jacques and built by three local masons, Guillaume Pillier, Richard Peyre and Gaspard Brunet. Its materials, from the limestone of Beaucaire and Fontvieille, and its fortified architecture (roof-terrace, mâchicoulis) reflect its defensive and utility use.

During the Revolution, the tower was renamed the Bubbles Tower and served as a refuge for an Arlesian revolutionary section. Returned to its original name after 1799, it was occupied by military genius until 1872, then by the Ponts-et-Chaussées until 1973. Since then, the municipality has transformed it into a tourist office (ground floor), a bird museum dedicated to the Camargue (1st floor) and a temporary exhibition space (2nd floor). Ranked a historic monument in 1942, it symbolizes the adaptation of heritage to contemporary uses.

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