# Musée du Masque de fer et du Fort Royal

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Content updated: 2026-06-22

The Musée du Masque de fer et du Fort Royal occupies the oldest part of Fort Royal on Île Sainte-Marguerite, off Cannes. The Vauban-style fortress overlooks the island’s long history through archaeology, imprisonment and military architecture. The Vieux Château rises above ancient Roman cisterns and extends across several levels. From the island, you enter rooms shaped by both Mediterranean archaeology and the fort’s prison history.

A Louis XIV wing contains the cell where the Man in the Iron Mask was held between 1687 and 1698. Other galleries recall Protestant pastors, Mamelukes from Napoleon’s army and members of Abd el-Kader’s smala. Roman frescoes, shipwreck discoveries and contemporary artworks connect finds from land and sea. A Huguenot memorial in a former cell honours six Protestant ministers imprisoned here during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Excavations from 1972 to 1986 uncovered pre-Roman settlements, Hellenistic houses, streets, sewers, mosaics and painted decoration.

The preserved archaeological trench measures about 30 by 5 metres inside the fort. It reveals an ancient wall and house layouts beneath the later prison rooms. A broad terrace hosts temporary international exhibitions, particularly during summer. The Roman cisterns remain on the ground floor, where the island’s ancient foundations still sit beneath the fortress.

- City: [Cannes](https://mytuur.com/en/city/cannes/)

## Photos

- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_MuseduMasquedeferetduFortRoyal_683dba53f44f54dc86b742d9_0.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Musée_de_la_Mer,_Cannes.JPG)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_MuseduMasquedeferetduFortRoyal_683dba53f44f54dc86b742d9_1.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Cellule_du_Masque_de_Fer.jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_MuseduMasquedeferetduFortRoyal_683dba53f44f54dc86b742d9_2.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Prisonbars.jpg)

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