Owned by Antibes Juan-les-Pins council since
1997, Fort Carré is now open to the public. The council
has completed necessary work to ensure the safety of visitors
while protecting the flora and fauna.
An exceptional site
Situated on the Saint Roch peninsula, Fort Carré is
built on a rock rising to 26 metres above sea level. The
path around it rises to 43 metres above sea level and commands
a 360° view.
An illustrious history
Since antiquity, the site has been a place of worship, with
a Roman temple dedicated to Mercury. This was replaced by
one of the first churches in the town, Saint Michael's Church,
in the first Christian era, but was abandoned around the
6th century. Among the ruins, the more modest church of Saint
Laurent was built.
Some important dates explain
why this place of worship became a military building.
In 1938, the County of Nice was attached
to Savoy.
In 1487, under the reign of Louis 6th,
Provence became French and the Var river a border which separated
the kingdom of
France from the estates of the Duke of Savoy, frequently
allied with the Spanish rival.
In the Italian Wars, Antibes
was sacked by the troops of Charles Quint in 1524 and 1536. The town needed an efficient
defence system.
In 1550, Henry 2nd ordered the construction
of a circular tower in Saint Laurent chapel. It was completed
in 1553.
Its design and the work was done by members of the Renaud
family, fortification engineers in Provence for the king
of France. The work was completed in 1565, with four towers
named: Antibes, Corsica, Nice and France. The tower became
operational in 1588 under the reign of Henry 3rd.
Around 1680,
Louis 14th commissioned Vauban to construct military fortifications
in the town and in Fort Carré.
The construction was specially adapted to military needs:
the enlargement of firing stations and placing of cannons
(18), replacement of stone that exploded under fire and caused
serious injury to soldiers with millstone and bricks which
crumbled to powder, changing of the angle of the walls and
bastions to counteract the ricichet of bullets and cannons.
In 1880, the County of Nice was attached to France. As the
border was now further away and Antibes was no longer in the
front line, it no longer held a strategic position. However,
it remained a fortification until 1895.
In 1906 and 1913, the
chapel and then the whole of Fort Carré was classified
a historic monument and placed in a protection zone by the
Lebrun decree of 1937.
From 1920, the site was an important
venue for military sport, lodging many different military
schools, including E.E.P.M. (Military Physical Education
School).
In 1967, the E.E.P.M. gave way to the C.R.E.P.S.
(Centre for Regional Sport Education) which developed facilities
in the fort and built the grand stadium.
In 1997, Antibes
Juan-les-Pins council purchased Fort Carré under
the aegis of the Youth Sport Minister.
