Citadel of Montpellier
Encyclopedia
The Citadel of Montpellier is an Early Modern
fortification
in the city of Montpellier
, in the Hérault
département of southern France
. It was built between 1624 and 1627, after several rebellion
s under the orders of Louis XIII
in order to keep watch over the town. In the 20th century it became the Joffre Barracks, named after Joseph Joffre
, and since 1958 the citadel has been an academic campus, the Lycée Joffre.
rebellion; he took over the city after an eight-month siege. The king ordered that a royal citadel close to the city be constructed to control the city and the surrounding region, where there was a large Huguenot population.
The citadel was built between 1624 and 1627 between the fortifications of the Écusson, or old town, and the coastal plain of the River Lez. It was separated from the city proper by a wide esplanade
, looking over the floodplain of the Lez. It comprised four bastion
s organized in a square: facing the city was the Bastion du Roi ("King's Bastion") to the northwest and the Bastion de la Reine ("Queen's Bastion") to the southwest; facing the floodplain was the Bastion de Montmorency to the northeast and the Bastion de Ventadour to the southeast.
The buildings within the citadel have been reconstructed multiple times. The last reconstruction before the citadel was converted into an educational building was in 1863.
Under the Ancien Régime, the citadel held royal troops as well as detachments of conscripted forces from Bas-Languedoc
. Later, it became a barracks of the 2nd regiment of Génie.
for young men in Montpellier was too small: having been built near the esplanade in 1804 in the same place as a former Jesuit
school, by the later part of the century the high school and its students were dispersed throughout two other sites north of the old town.
In 1947 city authorities decided to move the high school into the citadel, which had since become the Joffre Barracks. The first classes were held there on 1 October 1948, and the last students were moved in during October 1959.
Since then, the buildings have been reconstructed and new buildings for classrooms have been added. The powder magazine of the Bastion de Montmorency has been converted into a pool and gymnasium, and the nearby fields into athletic fields. The academic campus, constituted of the middle school
, high school and classes préparatoires
, occupies 15 hectare
s.
Early modern Europe
Early modern Europe is the term used by historians to refer to a period in the history of Europe which spanned the centuries between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, roughly the late 15th century to the late 18th century...
fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
in the city of Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, in the Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
département of southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was built between 1624 and 1627, after several rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
s under the orders of Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
in order to keep watch over the town. In the 20th century it became the Joffre Barracks, named after Joseph Joffre
Joseph Joffre
Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre OM was a French general during World War I. He is most known for regrouping the retreating allied armies to defeat the Germans at the strategically decisive First Battle of the Marne in 1914. His popularity led to his nickname Papa Joffre.-Biography:Joffre was born in...
, and since 1958 the citadel has been an academic campus, the Lycée Joffre.
History
Military history
In 1621, King Louis XIII arrived with soldiers to quell a HuguenotHuguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
rebellion; he took over the city after an eight-month siege. The king ordered that a royal citadel close to the city be constructed to control the city and the surrounding region, where there was a large Huguenot population.
The citadel was built between 1624 and 1627 between the fortifications of the Écusson, or old town, and the coastal plain of the River Lez. It was separated from the city proper by a wide esplanade
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
, looking over the floodplain of the Lez. It comprised four bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s organized in a square: facing the city was the Bastion du Roi ("King's Bastion") to the northwest and the Bastion de la Reine ("Queen's Bastion") to the southwest; facing the floodplain was the Bastion de Montmorency to the northeast and the Bastion de Ventadour to the southeast.
The buildings within the citadel have been reconstructed multiple times. The last reconstruction before the citadel was converted into an educational building was in 1863.
Under the Ancien Régime, the citadel held royal troops as well as detachments of conscripted forces from Bas-Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
. Later, it became a barracks of the 2nd regiment of Génie.
Scholarly history
During the 19th century, it became clear that the high schoolGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
for young men in Montpellier was too small: having been built near the esplanade in 1804 in the same place as a former Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
school, by the later part of the century the high school and its students were dispersed throughout two other sites north of the old town.
In 1947 city authorities decided to move the high school into the citadel, which had since become the Joffre Barracks. The first classes were held there on 1 October 1948, and the last students were moved in during October 1959.
Since then, the buildings have been reconstructed and new buildings for classrooms have been added. The powder magazine of the Bastion de Montmorency has been converted into a pool and gymnasium, and the nearby fields into athletic fields. The academic campus, constituted of the middle school
Secondary education in France
In France, secondary education is in two stages:* collèges cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14...
, high school and classes préparatoires
Classe Préparatoire aux Grandes Écoles
The classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles , commonly called classes prépas or prépas, are part of the French post-secondary education system. They consist in two very selective years , acting as a prep course with the main goal of training undergraduate students for enrolment in one of the...
, occupies 15 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s.
Remains still intact
Of the original citadel, the following vestiges remain:- The two southern bastions (la Bastion de la Reine and la Bastion de Ventadour) and the wall linking them have been preserved. There is a palm grove planted at the base of the wall; the two bastions and the wall face the Allée Henri II de Montmorency ("Alley of Henry II of Montmorency") and the district of AntigoneAntigone DistrictThe Antigone District is a neighbourhood part of Montpellier, southern France, at . It is best known for its architectural design by Ricardo Bofill ....
. - On the west side there remains the Bastion du Roi, which has been broken in multiple places to allow for construction of automobile access roads and pedestrian footpaths between the northern parking lot and the center of Montpellier. The walls and their embrasureEmbrasureIn military architecture, an embrasure is the opening in a crenellation or battlement between the two raised solid portions or merlons, sometimes called a crenel or crenelle...
s are still visible. A railway coming from the Gare de Montpellier Saint-RochGare de Montpellier Saint-RochSaint-Roch is the main railway station in Montpellier, France. The station was formerly known as Gare de Montpellier, but since March 2005 it bears the name of Saint Roch, a native of the city, who was born in the 14th century...
crosses the base of the old wall in a tunnel. - At the north, the Bastion de Montmorency is visible, standing over a parking lot and the adjoining Board of Education buildings. It currently serves as the gymnasium of the Lycée Joffre.