Tour de Constance - Aigues Mortes/France - Retired Prisons on Waymarking.com

The Tour de Constance is a fortified tower in the southern French city of Aigues-Mortes on the edge of the Camargue. The tower was built from 1242 to 1254 under Louis IX. at the former site of the Tour Matafère, built in turn under Charlemagne in the year 790.

The tower has a diameter of 22 meters and a height to the top of the lantern of 33 meters. The thickness of foundation walls shall be six feet.

The round, two-story tower stands outside the city walls, with which it is connected by a bridge.

The main rooms of the floors, in the basement, this is the room of the guards and the upper floor of the great hall, each of which has a ribbed vault. A round opening in the center of the room the guards allowed access to the basement, here Kerker and ammunition were. About the knight's hall there is access to the roof terrace, which at times served as the starting area for prisoners.

For centuries, the tower served as a prison again and again. In the 14th century the members of the Knights Templar eventually were imprisoned here, from the 17th century, the Huguenots, and in 1815 the officers of Napoleon.

The most famous prisoner was the Huguenot Marie Durand, who was imprisoned here since age 18, for 38 years and was released in 1768. Marie Durand is according to tradition, the still readable word Resister (franz., Dt. Resist, oppose) on the edge of a fountain located in the tower have scratched.

Since 1903, the tower is run as a monument in the List of Monuments historiques.

Address: Aigues-Mortes, Occitanie France 30220 Open to the public: Yes Hours: Not listed Fees?: Not listed Web link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
In order to add a new log to the waymark of this category, simply take another photo of the prison from a different angle than the other posts. Also add to the history of the jail when possible.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   11/14/2022 agnes.fleur visited it 09/02/2021 sara et gege visited it 01/08/2019 Eibacher Kuckuck visited it 10/30/2018 Belugue visited it 06/18/2018 Alfouine visited it 07/10/2017 Nathalain visited it 04/08/2016 Itamae visited it 07/17/2015 09Naturel visited it

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