At the time of the Crusades, the site had been granted to the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem who settled on this steep promontory and built their Commandery there to transport troops to the Holy Land.
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The Hospitallers occupied the former chapel of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, then began construction of a new church, hospital and Commander's palace. The whole complex was completed in 1365. The port entrance was controlled by a chain of 226 large rings linking the two towers of Saint-Nicolas and Maubec. When Marseille was sacked by the Aragonese in 1423, the chain was completely destroyed and taken as a trophy by the Spanish. King René, wishing to ensure more effective defense of the port, had a...