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Origin and history

The Tour des Trinitaires is a former bell tower built at the beginning of the 13th century, located on Rue de la Vieille-Tour, in the 2nd arrondissement of Marseille. Owned by the city, this tower is one of the few medieval remains still visible in this area. It reflects the religious architecture of the period and the importance of monastic orders in the region.

According to the sources, the tower and the adjoining building were sold on 21 January 1351 by Rostany de Sabran and Guillaume de Chateauneuf to the bishop of Marseilles, Robert de Mandagout. They were then ceded to the Trinitarians in 1524 as compensation for their destroyed convent. This religious order, founded in the 12th century, devoted itself to the redemption of Christian captives, especially those taken by pirates or during conflicts.

The Trinitarians played a major social role: the captives released in exchange for a ransom came to deposit their chains in the chapel Notre-Dame du Bon Remede, whose name derives from the Latin redime (repurchase). Voltaire quoted them among the few useful monks, alongside the brothers of Saint John of God. The tower, a symbol of this humanitarian mission, was listed as a historic monument on 1 October 1926.

Today, the Trinitarian Tower and its adjoining wall remain tangible testimonies of this religious and charitable past. Their precise location at 11 rue de la Vieille-Tour and their state of conservation make it a notable heritage site, although their access to the public is little documented.

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