What stories could these stones tell if they could talk? We are standing at Montée de la Batterie in Marseille. It is a place rich with history. The Batterie is not just a location. It is a testament to Marseille’s strategic importance.
Let’s step back in time. Imagine Marseille as a bustling port city. It is full of merchants and pirates. The Greeks understood this early on. They first established a system of watchtowers. These defended the coast.
Around 1300 Robert the Wise replaced coast watchers with Vigies. This was an attempt to deter pirates. But it never stopped determined adversaries. It took more time to create a network of batteries around Marseille’s bay.
Later Henri IV and Sully decided to fortify France’s borders. François 1er had the Château d’If built. The defensive positions around Marseille were improved until Napoléon III’s time. These batteries around the bay saw little action. This is why they still stand today.
Batteries were needed to protect ships coming to Marseille. It was better to have cannons than watchmen. Signals from Marseilleveyre to Notre Dame then to Marseille were too slow. Before anyone reacted merchants were enslaved. They were on their way to Turkey or Algeria. Royal galley captains drew maps to reach the Levantine trading posts. These charts included wind roses and fancy titles for patrons. The rest was guesswork.
Under Louis XV global concerns grew. There were wars from 1701 to 1747 in the region.
In 1818, the military drew up a report on defenses from the Rhône to Toulon. It included an atlas of watercolor drawings. All the Calanques batteries were built in 1811 according to this report. Even the Croisette battery existed on a 1694 map with two cannons. The Batterie Est de Marseilleveyre was called Batterie de Riou. The cannon at Riou was not mentioned. Neither was the support point in the Marseilleveyre hills.
In 1794, Bonaparte wrote that Marseille’s batteries were in terrible condition. Their design ignored basic principles. He wanted the coast to be respectable within fifteen days. This did not happen because his orders were not followed. Bonaparte said the coast’s defense was left to architects. They had good intentions but lacked military knowledge.
The batteries of the Calanques were used against the English. They were the constant enemy.
In 1650, François Blondel planned Provence’s fortifications. In 1694, maps showed batteries including Cap Croisette with two cannons. By 1811, the Cap Croisette guard was gone. The battery was in poor condition. Napoleon ordered a new battery. Rocks were broken. A platform for six cannons was prepared. A cistern a ditch and a guardhouse were built. The guardhouse appeared in Jean-Baptiste Olive’s 1891 painting of Île Maïre. The Batterie de Montredon and Batterie de la Mounine worked together. This blocked enemy pirates from entering the calanque des Goudes and anse de Carrelongue. The enemy was the English who blockaded France from 1804. They sought supplies through deals or skirmishes.
The wall from Napoleon’s time is still there. It is incorporated and doubled in places. There are shards of pottery mixed with tiles from the guardhouse.
In 1933, the navy transformed the battery into Fort Napoléon. The Germans added a blockhouse to the west. The Calanques were neglected. People thought they were impenetrable. But Marseilleveyre Sormiou and Morgiou offered paths to Marseille. These were used by fishermen and hunters. The Calanques were anchorages for coastal trade. They needed protection from pirates.
Feel the wind. Hear the echoes of cannons. Montée de la Batterie stands as a silent guardian. It represents Marseille’s enduring spirit.