Fort de Brescou
The Fort de Brescou is located on the Île de Brescou , which is in the French commune of Agde in the Hérault department , half a nautical mile from the entrance to the “Port Richelieu” (Richelieu harbor) on the Cap d'Agde and a little less than three nautical miles from the mouth of the Hérault . It is the only island in the Languedoc-Roussillon region .
Of volcanic origin, it covers an area of 0.5 hectares .
The island has an abandoned fort in which there is an old beacon (which can be visited today) and a modern lighthouse . Until 1889 the island was a military area, which after the demobilization of the fort was given under the care of the “Ponts et Chaussées” (bridge and road administration). Today it belongs to the city of Agde.
Origins
A first fort was built in 1586 by the Viscount Guillaume de Joyeuse to prevent it from becoming a fulcrum of Spanish support for the Protestants .
It was reinforced in 1604/1605 and then again in 1610. The original blueprints are unknown, but it was less extensive.
In one of the revolts against Richelieu , one of those involved, Duke Henri II de Montmorency , was captured by the Lieutenant-Capitaine of the Cardinal Guards, but the fortress remained occupied by the Duke's people. On September 1st, 1632 a royal order (lettres patentes) was issued, in which the total destruction of the fort was ordered. However, the work progressed very slowly and was completely stopped in 1634, especially after the expansion of the port and the construction of a pier between the cape and the rocks in the west had started.
The fort shows itself in its arrangement as a typical representative of the last quarter of the 17th century and was built after the model of Vauban or at least his engineers (or students). However, many improvements were made at later times.
Building
The fort with its four bastions lies on the island as if grown together with the rock . These are arranged at irregular intervals and are called "Bastion Royal", "Bastion Sainte-Anne", "Bastion Saint-Antoine" and "Bastion Saint-André", starting to the left of the entrance. The curtain wall between the two rear bastions stands in the place of a large, round tower that may have been part of an earlier fortification. The entrance itself is protected by a bezel , which can only be accessed via a short walkway. In front of the Bastion Saint-André there is a small sandy beach, which is used to access the fort.
The walls of all the fort's buildings have been partially broken off today, the only exception being the lighthouse keeper's temporary house and the roofed cistern. The circular path around the bulwarks served as a promenade for those prisoners who were allowed to walk here. On the access beach and under the Bastion de Saint-André there are traces of a former pier , about the use of which nothing is known (possibly a protective dam?).
During the time when the fort was still active, the responsible military administration ( l'organization générale du fort ) used it for two purposes. On the one hand it served as a garrison , on the other hand prisoners were housed here.
After entering the fort and after leaving the arched gate, the following building arrangement was found:
- in the courtyard, facing the entrance, the fortress governor's house, and finally the house of the former lighthouse keeper. (Building E) then on the left was the former arsenal. Behind the governor's house was the former lighthouse of which only the foundation remained, on which the old lighthouse was then built.
- to the left of the entrance in the casemates is the quarters of the officer on duty, further in the corner the bakery, the storerooms, the canteen and the chapel with a small cemetery. (Building D) Behind the chapel, on the Bastion Sainte-Anne, there was a large tower (demolished) in which the dungeons were housed.
- to the right of the entrance was the guardhouse in the casemates, behind it in the corner the building for the prisoners. (Building A). The long building behind it was the barracks (Building B). Behind these barracks, the large round tower (Tour Sainte-Anne), which was built in the first phase of construction of the fort, then served to accommodate the modern lighthouse.
Military use
At the end of the 17th century, the fort was reactivated to protect the access to the newly built port east of the cape. However, this port, as foreseen by Richelieu, ultimately did not play a major role, so that the military interest in the fort died out again, especially since it was not involved in the landing of the English between Sète and Agde in July 1710, nor in further actions of the Royal Navy during the Wars of Louis XIV and the French Revolution .
Nevertheless, the fort was occupied by a permanent garrison to prevent surprise attacks on the island. The management was incumbent on a governor, a lieutenant of the king (Lieutenant du roi) as fortress commander (referred to as major ) and a staff (État-major). This protection also applied to the municipality of Agde.
The main task of the fort, however, was to monitor the English ships cruising off the coast and thus to maintain the freedom of movement of fisheries in the region. From May to September a signal post was set up on the fort, which showed the way to the arriving ships by means of a beacon. At the same time, there were such posts at the mouth of the Hérault on Mont Saint-Loup and on Cap d'Agde . Each of these posts consisted of a signal seaman and two soldiers.
In peacetime the garrison was reduced and consisted only of a company of invalids, which was mostly not complete. On the average there were about forty men who, both soldiers and officers, were not very enthusiastic about this post. Desertions were the order of the day.
During wartime, the occupation was reinforced or completed by militia companies from other cities in the kingdom ( Saumur , Bourg-en-Bresse etc.).
The fort as a state prison
From an unknown point in time, the fort also served as a state prison . The island had the advantage of not being too far from the coast, but still reducing the possibilities of escape.
Two years after the repeal of the Edict of Nantes , in 1687, who sent Intendant of Languedoc , Nicolas de Lamoignon of Basville , 22 Cévennes for three weeks on the trip to Italy, where it near Genoa went ashore to from there in Switzerland to arrive.
The reasons for the custody on Brescou lay in the concept of state prisoners or even in the desire of influential families to get rid of accused family members as inopportune family members. The state prisoners, who were only imprisoned for minor offenses, had to spend between 11 and 16 years here, while the criminals were then imprisoned for 30 to 50 years. The latter were mostly fraudsters, thieves, violent criminals and those accused of "fornication", the latter being interpreted much more strictly than is the case today. The prisoners who had been brought here because of games, drinking, duels, especially women, and debts, did not take any of this very seriously; they were happy men, passionate, turbulent and quite incredulous. In keeping with their nature, on Brescou they continued their previous lives as far as possible. They didn't stay on the island as long as the others.
Life in the fort was tough, not only for the prisoners but also for the crew. For the former, mainly because of overcrowding and poor hygiene. However, it was still bearable, especially one could move freely during the day and was only locked in in the evening. However, this did not apply to those who were locked in the dungeon in the basement of the tower on the direct orders of the king or as a result of an attempt to escape or other minor offenses.
State prisoners who were fed on the “King's Bread” (au pain du Roi) were excluded from normal care. They received a pension from which they had to pay for food, heating material in winter and everything they needed to live. The amount of the pension was based on the behavior of the prisoner and the financial status of the parents or relatives. However, rarely did the governor receive full pay, resulting in his not firing her until he got his money. This gave parents the opportunity to keep their unloved offspring in custody, even if the king had already ordered their release.
In addition to the garrison, the fortress also housed a chaplain , as well as a canteen and his wife, who lived there with their children. The work was difficult because two different menus had to be cooked - one for the soldiers and the poorest prisoners, and a second for the officers and the better-off prisoners.
For most of the prisoners, the main concern was to escape. The fort is 1,500 meters from the coast, the only way to escape was to swim or take a boat. In both cases, accomplices were necessary among the inmates. Before using a boat, it was essential to agree something with the local fishermen in advance. The total number of escape attempts is not known, but we know of a total of 25 between 1757 and 1773.
The fort released its prisoners with the revolution, although the last was not released until 1851 or 1854.
The lighthouses
The island had two different lighthouses, an older one and the current one built as a replacement.
The first, which was built at the end of the 16th century, consisted only of a simple tower made of black stones at the top of which was a lantern in which a fire was kept to generate the necessary light. It is still there and is on the Saint-Antoine bastion
The second was built in 1836 on the remains of the great tower in the west of the island. It was only 9 m high, which is why it was increased to 11.20 m in 1901. Today it is a total of 12 m high, painted red and white and its tip rises 22 m above sea level. The light has a maximum range of 13 nautical miles .
When the lighthouse still needed a guard, this was initially done by soldiers who were relieved by civilians after the fort was closed. They lived in the former governor's building. After the automation in 1989, the lighthouse keeper was withdrawn.
Current situation
In 1998 extensive renovation work was undertaken to remove storm damage. At that time part of the wall threatened to fall into the sea. Today the island is a favorite place for divers and underwater fishermen, until a few years ago the sea was full of loup-de-mer , sea bream and conger eels . In the 18th century it was famous for its lobster.
A few years ago divers found the wreck of the Brescou 2 between the island and the coast .
Radio amateurs often organize expeditions to the island in order to conduct radio operations from there.
Guided tours usually take place daily from June 15 to early September; in August there are fireworks from the ramparts of the fortress.
From 2010 the fortress was temporarily closed to the public and guided tours due to its dilapidation. The facility is now open again.
literature
- Daniel Benoît et André Fabre, Marie Durand, prisonnière à la Tour de Constance (1715–1768). D'après l'ouvrage de Daniel Benoît, revu et corrigé par André Fabre - Nouvelle Société d'Éditions de Toulouse - Dieulefit (Drôme) - 1938.
- G. de Sarret de Coussergues, Une prison d'État au milieu du XVIIIe, le fort de Brescou en Languedoc , - Les Presses Continentales - Paris - 1950.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ IGN
- ↑ Le Cap d 'Agde ( Memento of the original from September 2, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ here not a military rank, but a position
- ↑ People from the Cevennes
- ↑ This "deportation" was an agreement between the revolting Protestants and the intendant, who wanted to get rid of some of the most active rebels in this way
- ↑ Charles Bost, Les Prédicants protestants of the Cevennes du Languedoc et bas , tome I, p. 212, Les Presses du Languedoc, 2001, ISBN 2-85998-246-9 .
- ↑ L'épave de Brescou 2 sur le site du ministère de la Culture - Archeology, consulte le 8 mars 2009
- ↑ L'Abandon honteux du Fort Brescou in the Hérault Tribune
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original dated May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 43 ° 15 ′ 47 " N , 3 ° 30 ′ 4" E