La Cité d'Aigues-Mortes

In the mid-13^th century, Louis IX decided to extend the territory of the kingdom he had inherited. So it was that, from nothing, the Cité d’Aigues-Mortes was created amid the salt marshes of the Camargue. From here, the king would later embark on the Seventh and Eighth Crusades. It took less than fifty years to complete the keep, known as the Tour de Constance, and the 1,643 metres of ramparts flanked by twenty towers. The fortifications, highly uniform in design, protected the town with its regular bastide layout.
Yet Aigues-Mortes enjoyed only a brief period of prosperity. Decline set in as early as the 14^th century, due to the silting up of the canals and ports, as well as competition from the city of Marseille. With the revocation of the Edict
of Nantes in 1685, the Tour de Constance became the largest Protestant prison in France throughout the ancien régime. Today, the exceptionally well-preserved site, with its wealth of natural and cultural heritage, is protected to the very highest standards.