Fort Royal

Fort Royal stands on Sainte-Marguerite Island, the largest of the Lérins Islands in the bay of Cannes, France. Ancient writers knew the island by the name Léro. Archaeological foundations show occupation reaching back to the fifth century BCE, before the fortress took shape. Roman cisterns and bathhouse remains still survive there. The present fortress began taking shape in the seventeenth century, after earlier proposals and a manor built over Roman remains. Its form includes bastions, a moat and barracks. French and Spanish forces successively changed the defences, adding earthworks, pentagonal lines and further fortifications across the island. The engineer Vauban visited the fort in 1682. The complex combines a vaulted chapel, stables, barracks and Roman cisterns. The fort also served as a prison during wartime. Its island position gave the fort a role in controlling the bay and protecting the coast. The complex houses the Musée de la Mer and an international youth centre. Roman remains and later military buildings place several historical periods within one site.