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Tour Matafère, Aigues-Mortes

Matafère Tower

Aigues-Mortes

Access

No visits on recordNo opening hours or ticketing found

Where
Aigues-Mortes

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Sleep nearby

This week in the agenda

Tour Matafère stands in Aigues-Mortes (Gard), in the Occitanie region of France. No visits are on record for this building.

The Matafère tower refers to a defensive structure raised around 790, under Charlemagne, near the site where Aigues-Mortes now stands. It once protected a small community of fishermen and salt workers living in the surrounding marshes, long before Saint Louis founded the walled town. The structure vanished centuries ago and was once mistakenly linked to the location of the present Tour de Constance. It is therefore not a site open to visitors, but a marker in the early history of the area.

Written from Tour Matafère

What to know

  • The Matafère tower no longer stands and cannot be visited today.
  • Its exact location remains uncertain and, despite an old belief, does not match that of the Tour de Constance.
  • The site's interest is historical rather than touristic, tied to the origins of Aigues-Mortes before its official founding.
  • Visitors interested in this history are better directed to the Tour de Constance, still standing in the town.

Where this château is

Aigues-Mortes · Gard · Occitanie

Map of the area around Tour Matafère

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

Aigues-Mortes, Gard

Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.

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Heritage status
Protection status unknown

Base map © IGN, Géoplateforme

In pictures

Frequently asked

Where was the Matafère tower located?
It stood near the present-day site of Aigues-Mortes in the Gard department, though its exact location is not known with certainty.
Is the Matafère tower the same as the Tour de Constance?
No, this confusion comes from an old document written by monks to support territorial claims; the two towers are distinct.
Can the Matafère tower be visited today?
No, it disappeared centuries ago and no remains are open to the public.
Who built the Matafère tower?
It is said to have been built around 790 during Charlemagne's reign, to defend the coast and local inhabitants.

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Sources

Identity, location and official references from Wikidata and the Mérimée register.

Within an hour’s drive

The most visited in this department — Gard