St. Philip Bastion, Bastion in Saint-Malo, France
St. Philip Bastion, also known as Bastion Saint-Philippe, is a fortified outwork set into the ramparts of the walled city of Saint-Malo, in Brittany, France. It faces the coast, overlooking the harbor entrance and the surrounding beaches.
The bastion was built in 1714, as part of a second expansion of Saint-Malo's defensive walls. This growth reflected the city's rising importance as a trading and seafaring port.
The bastion was named after Philippe II d'Orléans, who served as Regent of France at the time it was built. At one of its corners, a small watchtower is topped with a stone fleur-de-lys, which visitors can spot while walking along the ramparts.
The bastion is accessible from the public walkways that run along the ramparts of Saint-Malo's old city. Walking the full circuit of the walls is easiest in dry weather, when the stone surfaces are less slippery.
The bastion was built partly to protect a neighborhood called La Californie, which at the time was home to wealthy shipowners. That name, which evokes a distant land, was given to a corner of a Breton port long before California became widely known in Europe.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
