The Château D'if: 5 Things To Know About The Prison Of The Count Of Monte Cristo

Buoyed by the success of the film The Count of Monte Cristo with Pierre Niney, the Château d'If is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Marseille. But do you know all the secrets of this Marseilles Alcatraz? Here are 5 things to know about this fortress located off the coast of the Phocaean city.

1- The film with Pierre Niney was not shot on location.

More and more French people enjoy visiting the filming locations of their favorite shows. This trend even has a name: cine-tourism. Thanks to the phenomenal success of the film "The Count of Monte Cristo," which recorded nearly 5 million admissions in France during the summer of 2024, the Château d'If in Marseille is experiencing a renewed interest from visitors.

At the Old Port, dozens of curious individuals wait each day to embark towards the Frioul Islands: it is in this archipelago, on an islet off the coast of the Phocaean city, that Edmond Dantès' prison is located in Alexandre Dumas' novel.

Since the release of the adaptation directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière, the attendance at this tourist site has increased by 30%. Fans of the film come on a pilgrimage to the famous Marseilles prison, even though the movie was not filmed there. No matter, visitors come to compare the locations with the sets of the 2024 version of The Count of Monte Cristo and enjoy reenacting certain scenes from the film...

In short, this adaptation has boosted the popularity of this tourist site and the book from which it is derived. In the château's shop, copies of Alexandre Dumas' novel are selling like hotcakes.

2- The construction of this fortress was decided by Francis I.

Before being popularized by Alexandre Dumas' novel as a prison, the Château d'If was a defensive fortress on the Frioul islands in the center of the Marseille harbor.

It was built on the orders of King Francis I between 1527 and 1529 to protect the Phocaean city and the coastline from sea attacks. In 1536, when the King of Spain Charles V attempted to take the city of Marseille, this fortress perfectly fulfilled its role and helped repel this maritime attack.

3- It served as an exceptional prison for four centuries.

Despite its strategic position in the harbor of Marseille, the Château d'If primarily served as a prison for four centuries. It should be noted, however, that this fortress off the coast of the Phocaean city was not an ordinary detention center.

It was a "prison of exception". This term means that the site only housed prisoners on special occasions such as revolutionary episodes or when Marseille's prisons were overcrowded.

4- It hosted famous prisoners.

It is said that the Château d'If hosted famous prisoners, some of whom really existed and others who are fictional characters, such as Edmond Dantès and Abbé Faria in The Count of Monte Cristo... A legend also says that The Man in the Iron Mask, the famous faceless prisoner, was imprisoned there.

Historians report that Chevalier Anselme was detained there in 1580 for conspiracy, as well as the Protestants arrested by order of the king after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Among the famous prisoners who were actually incarcerated in this fortress, we must also mention the Count of Mirabeau and Auguste Blanqui.

Over the centuries, the history of this place has remained inseparable from the history of France as German prisoners were detained there during the First World War.

5- It has been open to the public since 1880.

Tourists who visit the Château d'If off the coast of Marseille today may not always know, but this monument officially opened its doors to the public in 1880.

Forty years earlier, the fortress had already welcomed its first unofficial visitors following the publication of Alexandre Dumas's novel, serialized in newspapers between October 1844 and January 1846.

This château, best known as the prison of Edmond Dantès, was classified as a historical monument in 1926. It has been managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux since 1994, and the island of If has been an integral part of the Calanques National Park of Marseille since its creation in 2012.