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Explore the town of Saint Louis and its ramparts, lying in the heart of the Camargue near the beaches and the vineyards. Discover its unique medieval fortifications and splendid vistas over the town, lakes, salt marshes and vines.
Visiting the tower and ramparts of Aigues-Mortes
• The Constance tower. This is one of the most majestic of medieval keeps, and all that remains of the castle built by Louis IX, who later became Saint Louis, between 1240 and 1248. It was no doubt a gatehouse tower, designed to be impregnable with its six-metre-thick walls.
• The ramparts. There are illustrations and audio recordings along the circuit explaining the site and its environment. The 1,643 of ramparts, ten gateways and five towers protect the town that was laid out in the regular pattern used for bastide towns. Don’t miss the place Saint-Louis, Notre-Dame des Sablons (13th century), or the Capuchin convent (17th century).
Understanding the towers and ramparts of Aigues-Mortes
• Royal features. Not only are the defensive systems excellent, there is also real attention to comfort and decoration.
• Doorway then prison of the kingdom. A canal links the town to the Mediterranean, and Saint Louis was the first French King to have a port on the south coast. He left on his crusades in 1248 and 1270 from here. Aigues-Mortes gradually silted up and the towers were turned into prisons. It was used to house Protestant prisoners after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685.
• Renewal. From 1875 the town started expanding again thanks to the planting of a vineyard away from the phylloxera and the new fashion for sea bathing.
