Museum of the Sea, Cannes

The Museum of the Sea is located on the island of St. Margaret, 20 minutes by boat from Cannes, in the former state prison of the XVII century. A special attraction is the chamber where the mysterious prisoner “Iron Mask” was imprisoned. The museum presents a collection of underwater archaeological finds dating back to the first century AD, as well as temporary photo exhibitions.

It is known that around 410 Saint Honorathus founded a monastery there, where St. Patrick lived. Later, the fortress of Fort Royal was built on St. Margaret, which served as a prison. Throughout its existence, this fortress has been fortified several times. Its last fortification was carried out by the famous French military engineer Vauban, so it is also sometimes called Fort Vauban. In 1737 this fortress was converted into a prison.

In the memorial you can learn about the fate of French priests expelled from the country and secretly returned to their homeland, after the abolition of the Edict of Nantes. They were captured, and they preferred life imprisonment to renunciation. Here you can also see the frescoes of the prison artist Jean Le Gaque. The museum’s collection specializes in displaying items lost at sea during shipwrecks. You will be able to see things that belong to the period of Roman civilization.