Citadelle

The entrance to the Lycee Joffre, a former barracks on the site of the citadel of Montpellier

The citadel of Montpellier was originally a fort constructed between 1624 and 1627 on the orders of King Louis XIII.

The King suppressed a rebellion by the Protestant inhabitants of Montpellier in 1621 and subsequently decided to construct a fort in order to strengthen his grip on the town.

The citadelle was constructed on the plain of the River Lez to the east of the city from which it was divided by a broad esplanade, now named after Charles de Gaulle.

The Esplanade de Charles de Gaulle Montpellier. Image published under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 license

The fort originally consisted of four fortified bastions. The bastion du roi to the north-west, and the bastion de la reine to the south-west, faced the city. The bastion Montmorency to the north-east, and the bastion Ventadour to the south-east, faced the plain.

The citadelle, renamed the caserne Joffre after the Great War, served as a barracks for regular troops and militia until it was converted into a secondary school, the lycee Joffre, in 1947.

The bastion de Ventadour

The southern facing bastions, the bastion de la Reine and the bastion de Ventadour, remain. The wall which connects them has also been preserved. These intact fortifications now border the experimental seventies housing development known as the Antigone.

The western fortifications including the bastion du roi were largely demolished to enable access to the school and to the ministry of education offices located in the bastion de la reine. Some of the old western walls including the defender's loopholes are still visible.

The bastion Montmorency, on the northern side of the fortifications, now looms over a large car park.

The education authorities have made imaginative use of the fort. The magazine in the bastion Montmorency has been converted into a swimming pool and the old parade ground is now a sports field.

 

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