Château d’Oléron

History and description

A medieval town and main agglomeration of the island of the same name, the first fortifications and castle were built in Château d’Oléron in the 10th century, by the Dukes of Aquitaine. Around 1630, Richelieu ordered the construction of the current citadel, slightly to the east of the former castle, which disappeared. The construction, directed by the engineer d’Argencourt, lasted eleven years and finished shortly after the death of the cardinal. When Louis XIV ordered the creation of Rochefort, the site of Oléron was retained as an advanced site for the defence of the new port arsenal. Colbert sent the Knight of Clerville to modernise the defences, which were no more than a citadel with a urban wall with projections and small curtain walls. The engineer Combes proceeded with constructions following the death of Clerville up until 1688. Subsequently, he was replaced by Ferry, a close colleague of Vauban.
Ferry, who worked on the designs of Vauban, razed part of the urban wall from the Richelieu period and constructed two hornworks, one facing the town and equipped with a ravelin, and the other in front of the marshes. Around 1690, another ravelin was build and the covered walkways and glacis were completed five years later. The urban wall of the town was subsequently modernised, but the construction remained incomplete.
In 1741 and 1742, the façade of the main gate and the sleeping bridge were restored. In 1758, the swoop of the English during the Seven Year war prompted French Military Engineering experts to reinforce the defences on the coast of île d’Aix.