Aigues-Mortes

Saint Louis founded this town, which was a safe haven for Huguenots until 1622

Marc Dautry : In memory of the convicts on the galleys - Aigues-Mortes © O. d'Haussonville
Constance Tower © O. d'Haussonville

After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, the old mediaeval towers in the town were used as prisons.

In 1707, the Tower of Constance was used for women who had been condemned to life imprisonment on religious charges. This tower symbolizes Protestant resistance – its heroine is Marie Durand, who was imprisoned at the age of 19 in 1730 until 1768. It is assumed that it was she who engraved the word ‘resist’ in the stone on the floor of her cell, but no-one is sure about this.

Aigues-Mortes

aigues-mortes

Itinerary to this location

Bibliography

  • Books
    • DUBIEF Henri et POUJOL Jacques, La France protestante, Histoire et Lieux de mémoire, Max Chaleil éditeur, Montpellier, 1992, rééd. 2006, p. 450
    • LAURENT René, Promenade à travers les temples de France, Les Presses du Languedoc, Millau, 1996, p. 520
    • REYMOND Bernard, L’architecture religieuse des protestants, Labor et Fides, Genève, 1996

Associated notes

Inscriptions sur des murs de prison

Ces inscriptions sont les traces des prisonniers pour leur foi.