What is the significance of the chateau d if

Built by Francis I in , the castle was used for several centuries as a state prison. The cells are small, drafty and dismal, the only view looks inward toward fellow unfortunates and a tiny cobbled courtyard, its well and stone staircase.

The cells are far from uniform, save for being uniformly grim. Each of the cells in the two-tiered prison is of an oddly-angled configuration, some with recesses for sleeping, or a fireplace and accoutrements included wall rings for fastening shackles. Notable detainees are identified by small fading signboards affixed by the windowless doors of their former cells.

His suite was in a corner, a vaulted brick tomb with a small fireplace, a table and chair, a bitter breeze for companionship, and no hope of escape. His fate was later popularized in a novel by Alexandre Dumas. Warfare was not the cause. Its isolated location, inaccessible rocks, sharp stones on the island shore as well as strong currents made that the castle was a real dungeon from which there was no escape.

He was accused of plotting against his ruler and was imprisoned behind its walls in The dungeons of that prison were most crowded at the end of the 17th century, when mass arrests of Protestants began in France after renouncing the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV.

They were treated almost as main state enemies. The prisoners were kept in inhumane conditions, they did not see the sunlight for months and died of exhaustion in hundreds. In that period the fortress of If became infamous for being the darkest and depriving hope prison of the Old World.

There were rumours about it even outside France. After the French Revolution in , the prison, located behind the walls of that castle, was closed down but the turbulent events of the 19th century sometimes improved the further history of this fortress.

He was head of the commune in Marseille. Hugely popular, the novel has been translated into most languages and has inspired twenty-three films. To ensure the safety of our visitors, the monument is strictly applying the security measures decided by the french authorities. The monument is fully opened. By pursuing your navigation browsing on this site, you accept the use of cookies.

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