The literal English translation is the Castle or Fortress of Possibility. Legend of Château d’If In Literature Alexandre Dumas from photo display at Chateau d’If (J. Chung) Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) was born in Picardy, France and was a successful playwright and novelist. It’s a delightful château that the author Alexander Dumas (1802-1870) had built for him in 1844 after his two novels, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers shot him to the top of 19th-century bestsellers lists. She lives part-time in Auvergne, France and writes travel articles about the country. The "chateau d'If" - Dumas' name for this charming neo-gothic castle - stands in its own moat and is full of architectural curiosity. The monument is open Our teams are happy to welcome you safely and in accordance with the new visit methods presented on this following page. His rather romantic vision was for a Renaissance château with the smaller red-brick Le Château d’If as his workspace, an English-style park and plenty of grottoes, rockeries, and small waterfalls. On the grounds of Chateau de Monte Cristo in Marly le Roi, France. In an emotional response, two preservation groups came together to save this heritage from the threat of the speculators. On the 22nd March, 1849, Alexandre Dumas settled up for the modest sum of 31,000 gold francs, though the property had cost him hundreds of thousands. I observed that while Dumas tries to create a feeling of horror, he portrays the Château d'If as a rather benevolent prison. 2nd october to 31st December: from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. The most famous prisoner of the Château d’If was Edmond Dantes – the later count of Monte Cristo. Monte-Cristo is pure Alexandre Dumas, a genuine reflection of his creative imagination. The château passed from hand to hand, suffered from neglect and became dilapidated. He hired Hippolyte Durand, a notable architect of the day to make his dream a reality. The "chateau d'If" - Dumas' name for this charming neo-gothic castle - stands in its own moat and is full of architectural curiosity. Unlike him, your stay at Chateau d'If won't be 14 years of unjust imprisonment. The Château d’If, as Dumas named it, is a delightful tiny neo-gothic castle, whose facades are carved with titles of his work. It is this fictional character from the novel of Alexandre Dumas that made the Château d’If so popular among tourists visiting Marseilles. cried he (…) Alexandre Dumas (father) The Count of Monte Cristo. The noise of the waves dashing against the rocks on which the chateau is built, reached Dantes’ ear distinctly as they went forward. They were crafted by Tunisian artisans in the service the Bey of Tunis, commissioned and brought here by Dumas after one of his voyages. Château d’If is an old island prison off the coast of Marseille. It is the tale of a man who spent 14 years imprisoned on the island before finally making a daring escape. The walls are decorated with fine stucco sculptures and arabesques. Making my way through the gardens ‘à l’Anglaise’, past grottoes, rockeries, waterfalls and pools, I found myself in front of Le Château d’If, an exquisite miniature storybook castle. The writer had portraits of historic playwrights placed above each ground floor window - but pride of place goes to Dumas himself, who still greets you from above the entrance. The family coat of arms is carved on the pediment, along with Dumas' personal motto: "I love those who love me." This was Dumas' study, where he retreated for hours on end to write in peace and solitude. The Chateau d'If is the island fortress located off the coast of Marseille France. Today films and TV series ensure that his classics which include The Man in the Iron Mask and The Count of Monte Cristo (set on the Ile d'If just off Marseille) are familiar to a whole new generation. The writer stamped his creative soul on the building; its facades are carved with titles of his works, and decorated with sculptures of some of his fictional heroes. A sculpture of a dog in a niche decorates the stairs leading up to the Château d’If. In 1844, Alexandre Dumas was at the height of his fame. Pour une simple halte ou pour une visite plus longue, de multiples activités sont proposées :… Surrounded by rolling parkland, the Renaissance-style château is quite small. Château de Monte-Cristo • 78560 Le Port-Marly • Tél. The cliff-top watchtower can be seen from the ferry crossing between Malta and Gozo. The chateau de Monte-Cristo is a delight, with sculpted facades on every side. Partez à la découverte du château d’If, lieu emblématique de l’œuvre d’Alexandre Dumas, le comte de Monte-Cristo. The notorious fortress that was part of the setting for the historic novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas was infamously the prison for many of France’s political and religious captives. That's especially true of the park, where Dumas' generosity of spirit and extravagance captivates now just as it did in his lifetime. The castle was made famous when Alexandre Dumas père, the 19th-century French writer, used it as one of the settings in his novel The Count of Monte Cristo … Celebrated by Alexandre Dumas and his character Edmond Dantès, the Count of Monte Cristo, the Château d'If is one of the most visited sites in Marseille, with more than 100,000 visitors a year. The writer stamped his creative soul on the building; its facades are carved with titles of his works, and decorated with sculptures of some of his fictional heroes. Dumas' home was full of pets, too. This was Dumas' study, where he retreated for hours on end to write in peace and solitude. “I had a chance to read Monte Christo in prison once, too, but not to the end. 2nd April to 30th September: from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. 2. Château d'if The Défi de Monte-Cristo, an exceptional challenge where sporting effort joins the cultural imagination thanks to Alexandre Dumas, wanted to give on its website all the place that the Château d'If deserves: That of a historic and legendary place known all over the world! On the first floor is one of the highlights of the chateau: a salon decorated in authentic moorish style. Visitors can take a ferry boat from the Vieux Port (Old Port) to … (Subject to modification. It was rescued from destruction in 1969 by the local authorities and the Friends of Monte-Cristo. Protestants and Republicans, plus anyone opposing official authority was imprisoned at Château d’If from 1580 until 1871. A generous host and bon viveur, he lived surrounded by his mistresses and friends, hangers-on and his dogs, cats, parrots, and monkeys. Dumas loved to entertain at Monte-Cristo. There are many day trips you can take from Paris, but one of the best for any fan of literature or architecture must visit the Château de Monte Cristo just outside Paris. Balzac once described the duo as “one of the most delicious follies ever created … the most royal sweetbox in existence.” Everything about the life and times of Alexandre Dumas was filled with romance. The gardens were to be laid out "à l'anglaise", with grottos, ornamental rocks and waterfalls... Dumas gave instructions and the estate was created according to his wishes. It is famous for being one of the settings of Alexandre Dumas’ adventure novel, The Count of Monte Cristo. "People fall in love with this monument, Dumas died in 1870 at Puys, near Dieppe, in the house of his son Alexandre Dumas the Younger, best known for The Lady of the Camellias. Open )* 2nd January to 1st April: from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. 1. Château d'If History “Bad weather!” observed one of … • The Château d'If is famous for being one of the settings of Alexandre Dumas' adventure novel The Count of Monte Cristo. Mary Anne Evans is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers. 1st January, 1st May and 25th December and subject to bad weather The island is part of the Frioul archipelago, overlooking the central harbour. The name was taken from the Alexandre Dumas classic, The Count Of Monte Cristo in which the main character, Edmond Dantes is imprisoned on the island prison of Chateau d'If where he grows and transforms into the person he was always meant to be. The dream included a renaissance chateau standing close by a gothic castle in miniature, complete with its own small moat. Money was no object and he employed the fashionable architect Hippolyte Durand, who went on to design the Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception at Lourdes in 1872. The park folds the chateau in a green embrace - a graceful setting. It takes you through the story of this extraordinary writer. Château d'If Château d'If, a famous castle in southern France. Dumas himself is center stage above the main entrance. +33 1 39 16 49 49, The Syndicat intercommunal de Monte-Cristo. The intimate room—perfect for seduction—was decorated by a Tunisian craftsman he met during his extensive travels and brought back to work on the building. Dumas died in 1870 at Puys, near Dieppe, in the house of his son Alexandre Dumas the Younger, best known for The Lady of the Camellias. It couldn't last forever, not even for Dumas. He was then living in Saint Germain en Laye. The last visit depends on the timetable of boats, information at the tourist information center, on our website (External link)or on Frioul If express. While the Château d’If gained a large amount of notoriety on its own, it began to receive worldwide notice following the printing of Alexandre Dumas’ novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, in 1844. The Château de Monte-Cristo is a writer's house museum located in the French country. Here’s our guide to the history behind … Mondays from 2nd January to 1st April and from 2nd october to 31st December 2. The Château d’If is located on the island of If, which is one of four islands that make up the Frioul archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea off of the coast of Marseille. 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Dumas’ reputation as a literary giant suffered a roller coaster as fashions changed and it wasn’t until the late 20th century that his reputation was re-established. Author: Moonik. Built as a fortress against Mediterranean Sea raiders between 1524 and 1531, Chateau d’If is still situated on its small, forbidding island about a mile from the French city of Marseille. His father, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas was a general in the French army and provided inspiration for his son’s writings. It’s where his hero was wrongly imprisoned for years. Still attached to his home, Dumas was able to remain at Monte-Cristo with the consent of the buyer, until 1851, when he left his personal paradise behind for exile in Belgium. The decorated stairs of the Château d’If. They're all worth a look at. Château d'If Off the coast of Marseille, discover the Château d’If and its unique panorama. The narrator says that Dantes himself is on the verge of madness after his days spent in the horrid conditions of the Chateau D’If, thinking only of Mercedes and his father. Reportedly, some 550 out of the 600 individuals who showed up at Dumas’s housewarming on July 25 1847 were gatecrashers. Flush with the success of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte-Cristo (both published as serial novels in newspapers), he was looking for somewhere where he could escape the turmoil of the city, and find the calm he needed to produce new manuscripts for his editors. You wander through a small set of rooms decorated with furniture, art, sculptures, and artifacts. Demolition loomed. In the 2002 adaptation starring Jim Caviezel, the château was represented by Saint Mary's Tower on Comino, the smallest inhabited Maltese island. Château d'If is today regarded as one of the most famous European prisons. rather as the young fall in love with the moon" Review of Chateau d'If Reviewed April 11, 2017 Castle then using prisoner. It’s the tale of sailor Edmond Dantès who was wrongly accused of treason and spent 14 years at Chateau d’If … His door was  open to everyone, including many who lived at his expense, taking advantage of his legendary hospitality and open-handedness. Built on a small 30.000 square meters island in the Bay of Marseille, this fortified fortress with walls guarding every inch of its coast represented perfect place for prison. Cont de Monte cristo idea has been realised by Alexander Dumas.. Vaux-le-Vicomte Near Paris Started With Intrigue and Ended in Glory, The Ultimate Château Road Trip Through Burgundy, France, Explore the Home of Alexandre Dumas in Monte Cristo. The roof developed holes and water began to seep inside. It was rescued from destruction in 1969 … To escape the pressure of his fame, Dumas moved from Paris to Saint Germain-en-Laye then found a plot of land on a hill just by Le Port-Marly for his new project which was to be his ’miniature paradise on earth’. The Moorish room on the first floor comes as a surprise among the European-style decor, but it's as authentic as you could want. Its honey-colored facade, just three stories high and topped with round domes, is covered with stone carvings of floral motifs, angels, musical instruments and great writers and philosophers including the likes of Dante, Homer, and Shakespeare. Keep in mind that entrance to the fortress costs extra – 6 euros (around $7). He held court, entertained his female conquests and organised fabulous parties, serving up culinary dishes of his his own devising. Specialties: Sur les traces du Masque de Fer L'île d'If est la plus petite île de l'archipel du Frioul avec ses 3 hectares de rocher blanc. In 1848, pursued by his many creditors, Dumas decided to sell his property along with all his furniture and decorative objects.