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Centre ancien historique

13700 Marignane

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The historic centre corresponds to the old market town of Marignane, which was originally known as a ‘castrum’ or fortified village, according to a term first recorded in 1022.

It corresponds to the former market town of Marignane, originally described as a ‘castrum’ or fortified village, according to a term first recorded in 1022. It was surrounded by ramparts, some sections of which can still be seen today. The settlement, situated on a slight rise, became a fully-fledged fortified town at the start of the 13th century with the fortification of the seigneurial house. The walls, or the ancient ‘barri’, underwent several rounds of repair and reinforcement, probably from 1396–1399 onwards to defend against the troops of Raymond de Turenne, and during the period of religious and civil unrest from 1574 to 1589. In the Middle Ages, the enclosure featured three gates: the town gate, the ‘false gate’ (on the site of the main entrance to the Town Hall, which disappeared in 1605), and the postern, now on Rue de la Cité. Added to these in the 16th century were the breach opened to allow access for the grape harvest – later sealed off by the Chapel of the White Penitents – the Portail Neuf in 1607, and the gate on Rue des Fours in the 18th century. A medieval moat, regularly filled with water, ran at the foot of the walls, fed by the Vallat de Font-Marignane and lined with gardens which eventually covered it over from 1519 onwards. The first documented extensions beyond the city walls, dating from the 1650s along Rue Charles Esmieu, were followed by the development of the boulevards in the 18th century, then by the opening of the triumphal Cours Mirabeau during the Second Empire. A few towers stood out, such as the base of the bell tower—likely a defensive and watchtower structure originally attached to the ramparts—the ‘keep’ of the castle known as the ‘fauconnerie’ ’ (which collapsed in 1921), and a turret mentioned as early as 1450 but whose location is unknown. Inside are a hospital for the poor, a weigh house, a well (still visible), seigneurial and private ovens, a smithy, a public butcher’s shop and a fishmonger’s, oil mills, as well as dwellings and shops, some of which are notable for their ornate windows, dated doors with keystones, or carved niches and aedicules (some bearing coats of arms) that once housed traditional images of saints, now lost. For a long time, the village was served only by five streets and as many side streets, with just one square – the Château Square – which was very late in being supplemented by the Place du Soleil and the Place de l’Etoile. With an estimated population of around 500 or 600 in 1450, rising to 2,000 by 1914, Marignane reached 5,500 inhabitants in 1954, thanks to the development of industry and the airport. In 1962, the town had a population of 8,500, rising to 34,000 today. Following a programme of emergency excavations, the historic centre is undergoing a major regeneration and urban renewal programme. There, visitors can expect to find a wealth of evidence of a market town which, as early as 1564, visitors from the Renaissance travelling in the wake of a royal procession described as a ‘beautiful little town and castle’, and which the first day-trippers from Marseille called a “charming village” in 1875. Source: Patrick Varrot, art historian – February 2021

Automatically translated

Listing provided by Office de Tourisme de Marignane (updated by the source on 28/02/2022).

Tourist office data: DATAtourisme, Licence Ouverte (French open licence), updated 24 October 2026.