The Chateau d'If: the French Alcatraz!
The chateau rose to fame thanks to Alexandre Dumas' famous novel "The Count of Monte Cristo".
The Chateau d'If is a fortress located on an island near Marseilles.
It was built at the request of Francis 1, King of France (Francois 1er). In 1516 Francis 1 stopped in Marseilles (which had become part of the Kingdom of France in 1480) after the victory of Marignano (Italy).
From the island of If, he studies the defenses of the city and finds that nothing protects it against invasions. He then orders the construction of a fortress on the island. The construction ends in July 1531.
The dreaded Château d'If was never attacked.
It was transformed into a prison in 1580 and held political prisoners, especially during the French Revolution. In the 19th century, it became a military prison, and later a place of detention for common law prisoners.
The Chateau d'If is perhaps most famous for its association with Alexandre Dumas' novel "The Count of Monte Cristo," in which the protagonist is imprisoned there.
The Count of Monte Cristo
The novel "The Count of Monte Cristo" was published in 1844 and is set in France during the 1815-1830 period. It tells the story of a young man named Edmond Dantès, who is wrongfully imprisoned at the Chateau d'If. He will then escape and seek revenge.
In the novel, Edmond uses the death of an Abbé Faria, a priest and fellow prisoner, to escape. Abbé Faria had been digging a tunnel for years, and after his death, Dantès takes on his identity, switches places with the body in its burial shroud, and is eventually able to escape by being thrown into the sea, where he is rescued by smugglers.
This marks the beginning of his journey to reclaim his identity, discover the truth about his false imprisonment, and seek revenge against those who betrayed him.
Note that before becoming a book, "The Count of Monte Cristo" was first published as a weekly series in the newspaper “Le Journal des Débats” from august 1844 to January 1846. That was Alexandre Dumas’ main source of income…
A great book by the way. A bit of a long read, but worth every page. There is a condensed version available if you don’t feel like going through the 1,500 plus pages of the book!
The Prison: the French Alcatraz!
The geographical location of the castle and its architecture made it an ideal prison from which it seemed impossible to escape. Except for Edmond of course!
After the French Revolution, the Chateau d'If was used as a prison for political prisoners, including those involved in the Paris Commune uprising in 1871. During the latter part of the 19th century, the Chateau was used as a military prison, and it continued to be used for this purpose until the late 1800s, when it was closed.
One of its famous prisoner was Georges Clemenceau, 19th-century French statesman who served as Prime Minister during World War I. He was briefly imprisoned at the Chateau d'If in 1871 during the Paris Commune uprising.
After its closure as a prison, the Chateau was abandoned for several decades before being restored and opened to the public as a museum in the 1960s.
Today, the Chateau d'If is a popular tourist attraction, showcasing the history of its use as a prison and its association with Alexandre Dumas' famous novel.
How to visit
Visitors can reach the island by boat. There are several companies that offer boat tours to the Chateau d'If, departing from Marseilles or other nearby ports. The ride takes about 15 minutes.
The video below will give you a good overview of the place. Don’t miss the fake tunnel “dug” by Abbé Faria (marker 1:46)!