Aigues-Mortes

Aigues-Mortes. Photo by Tom Corser. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 England and Wales (UK) Licence

Aigues-Mortes is located five kilometres from the Gulf of Lion. The town owes its name, "dead waters", to the numerous salt marshes and lagoons within its immediate vicinity.

Aigues-Mortes was once an insignificant village controlled by the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Psalmodie. In 1240 it was purchased by Louis IX of France who wished to acquire a Mediterranean port.

Despite a tradition to the contrary, it is unlikely that Aigues-Mortes was ever a coastal town during the Middle Ages. However, easy access to the sea would have been possible through the surrounding lagoons and channels.

Tour Carbonniere. Image published under the GNU Free Documentation License, verison 1.2 or later

Louis IX built a road to Aigues-Mortes between the marches and protected his new acquisition  by the construction of the Tour Carbonniere, which guards the approach to the town, and the Tour de la Constance, which served as a barracks for the royal garrison.

Louis IX, who was subsequently canonised for his crusading zeal, launched the seventh and eight crusades from Aigues-Mortes in 1248 and 1270 respectively. He perished in a plague epidemic during the latter venture.

Philippe III of France, who succeeded Louis IX in 1270, extended the town's fortifications by encircling its perimeter with a formidable rampart which remains intact to this day.

The ramparts at Aigues-Mortes published under the GNU Free Documentation License, verison 1.2 or later

Aigues-Mortes, the perfect example of a mediaeval walled town, is now a popular tourist attraction.

Visitors may climb the Tour de la Constance and stroll along the ramparts which offer superb views of the surrounding marsh plain known as the Camargue.

 

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