It was built in the 1680s to a design by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, and it is now in good condition.

[1] Its construction was decided on by Louis XIV in 1683, so as to complete the defensive set-up protecting the arsenal of Rochefort.

[2] The first proposal to build a fortification in the area was made in 1672 by the engineer La Favolliere, and it was eventually built between 1683 and 1686.

It was completed in 1689, at the start of the war of the League of[3] Augsburg.The fort's initial design was made by François Ferry, but the plans were extensively modified by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, who reduced its size due to a lack of funds.

[1] The fort consists of a semi-circular gun battery ringed by a parapet with twenty-two embrasures.