Description
Built between 1692 and 1697, this fort prevented the invasion of Provence through its heroic resistance to the Austro-Sardinian troops on August 16, 1707. It was rebuilt after that event. It is still owned by the French Navy and is not open to the public.
The fort's heroic resistance to Austro-Sardinian troops on August 16, 1707 prevented the invasion of Provence. Almost completely destroyed in the battle, the fort was rebuilt in its original form in 1708. The fort then changed its name from Fort des Vignettes to Fort St Louis.
Built facing the sea and protected by a breakwater, it was originally completely surrounded by the sea. It was later linked to the shore by a terreplein, which went from being a small passageway in the 19th century to a real square used to dry out fishing boats and pleasure craft moored in the adjoining harbor. On the seaward side, it has a semi-elliptical shape, while on the landward side, it has a sharply-defined re-entrant angle on which a small, flat, casemated bastion has been built. This vaulted bastion contains a gunpowder magazine, an oven, a cistern and a chimney, and has an embrasure on each flank. At the entrance and to the right of the 1st landing of the fort's access staircase, there is a small guardhouse and, on the second landing, an artillery magazine. At the rear, to the left and right of the small bastion, there are 4 rooms and 2 embrasures, each armed with a cannon.
Owned by the French Navy, this fort cannot be visited.
Every August 15, a fireworks display sets the fort ablaze, making it one of Toulon's most attractive spectacles.
