Le Château d’If
noun - Le Château d’If is a fortress and later a prison located on the island of If, the smallest island in the Frioul archipelago situated in the Mediterranean Sea about a mile offshore in the Bay of Marseille in southeastern France.
If Island
Île d’If is located 3.5 kilometers west of the Vieux Port in Marseille. The entire island is heavily fortified; high ramparts with gun platforms surmount the cliffs that rise steeply from the surrounding ocean. Apart from the fortress, the island is uninhabited.
Château
The fortress is a square, three-story building 28m long on each side, flanked by three towers with large gun embrasures. It was built in 1524-31 on the orders of King Francis I. The castle's principal military value was as a deterrent; it never had to fight off an actual attack.
Prison
The isolated location and dangerous offshore currents of the Château d'If made it an ideal escape-proof prison, very much like the island of Alcatraz in San Francisco, California was in more modern times. Its use as a dumping ground for political and religious detainees soon made it one of the most feared and notorious jails in France. The island became internationally famous in the 19th century when Alexandre Dumas used it as a setting for The Count of Monte Cristo, published to widespread acclaim in 1844. In the book, the main character Edmond Dantès (a commoner who later purchases the noble title of Count) and his mentor, Abbé Faria, were both imprisoned in it. After fourteen years, Dantès makes a daring escape from the castle, becoming the first person ever to do so and survive. In reality, no one is known to have done this.
The château's use as a prison ceased at the end of the 19th century. It was demilitarized and opened to the public in 1890. The Château d'If is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
Open Water Swimming
- Jacques Tuset, the King of Prison Island Swimming, completed a prison island swim by swimming from Le Château d’If to France.
- Défi de Monte Cristo or Le défi de Monté Cristo Marseille is a 1 km, 2.5 km, 3.5 km, 5 km event in Île d’If, ;;Marseille]].
- Jacques Tuset, the King of Prison Island Swimming, completed a 7.7 km night swim from Château d’If to Île Tiboulen in the 13.2°C water, finishing in 2 hours 27 minutes, after departing Château d’If at 8:47 pm and arriving at Tiboulen Island at 11:15 p.m., his 20th escape from Château d’If, at the age of 58.
10 Escapes Video
Courtesy of Jacques Tuset and Team Aquadeus
External links
- Jacques Tuset Is Back: Château d'If Prison Island Swim
- Jacques Tuset Completes Le Défi Edmond Dantes
- The Magic of Three: Triple Crown Swims
- The Octad Of Open Water - Prison Island Swims
- Quite The Quatro, Swimming For Seven
- Jacques Tuset Makes Another Escape From Prison
- Jacques Tuset Breaks Out Of Prison...Again And Again
- Jacques Tuset Makes Another Escape To Shore
- Jacques Tuset, The Houdini Of The Open Water
- Jacques Tuset Knocks Off 8 Ball
- Tanzania's Changuu Added To The Prison Island Swims
- Triple Break - Global List Of Prison Island Swims
- Triple Break Grows To Worldwide Prison Island Swims
- Jacques Tuset Makes An Escape In The Ice
- Jacques Tuset Honored By The Hall Of Fame
- Jacques Tuset, The World's Greatest Escape Artist
- World's Greatest Escape Artist Swims From Angel Island
- Since Jacques Tuset's Last Escapes Around The World
