Located off the coast of the Cap d’Agde, the Fort de Brescou is built on top of the submerged part of an old undersea volcano. It was Cardinal de Richelieu’s dream to make it the entrance to a great port, but the work was stopped after his death.
Built by the Vicomte de Joyeuse in 1586, its primary role was to defend. Unfortunately, its modest fortifications were unable to withstand Montmorency’s revolt and it was completely destroyed in 1632.
Restored from a ruin, it was rebuilt how we see it today in 1680, probably using Vauban's plans.It became a state prison in the 18th century.The site can be viewed from a boat but can no longer be visited.
References:Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey. It was founded in about 1113 by Guillaume de Tancarville on the site of an earlier establishment of secular canons and settled by monks from the Abbey of Saint-Evroul. The abbey church made of Caumont stone was erected from 1113 to 1140. The Norman builders aimed to have very well-lit naves and they did this by means of tall, large windows, initially made possible by a wooden ceiling, which prevented uplift, although this was replaced by a Gothic vault in the 13th century. The chapter room was built after the abbey church and dates from the last quarter of the 12th century.
The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659, after the disasters of the Wars of Religion, helped to get the abbey back on a firmer spiritual, architectural and economic footing. They erected a large monastic building one wing of which fitted tightly around the chapter house (which was otherwise left as it was).