Fortification by Louis XIV at the entrance to the Old Port. According to legend, the Phocians, the founders and first inhabitants of what was then Massalia (Marseille), landed on the site of the fort in the 6th century BC. In the 12th century, Fort Saint-Jean was the starting point for the Crusader Knights to Palestine, and in the 15th century a lighthouse appeared here, and now its lantern is visible from the sea for 20 kilometers.

During the French Revolution, the fort’s premises were used as a prison for Jacobins. And during World War II, the Germans set up an ammunition depot in them, which was blown up in 1944. In 1964, after the fort was transferred to the Ministry of Culture, it was recognized as a historical monument of France.

Today, the territory of the citadel, surrounded by high fortress walls, is a museum complex. Here you can see the medieval Chapel of St. John, the restored tower of King René, a lighthouse, the ruins of ancient barracks, a memorial to those who died in the death camps, as well as the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations.