Since 2008, the fort has served as a museum, showcasing collections of medieval and Renaissance arms, hosting exhibitions, and offering panoramic views of the surrounding area from its terrace.

Sailors, facing danger from sudden storms and lightning, sought his intercession, and the electrical discharges seen at the mastheads of ships were interpreted as a sign of his protection, eventually becoming known as Saint Elmo's fire.

These towers, funded by James II of Aragon in the 13th century, facilitated communication through smoke signals to warn the local population of impending danger.

During daylight hours, green wood was burned to produce smoke, allowing communication with other regional towers and strongholds.

However, it was the enemy of the Kingdom of Majorca, King Peter IV of Aragon, who significantly fortified the fort's defenses after conquering the coast in 1344.

In 1462, King Louis XI seized the opportunity presented by the Catalan civil war (1462-1472) to sign the Treaty of Bayonne, thus annexing the counties of Roussillon and Cerdagne.

Louis XI's successor, Charles VIII, aimed to secure Spain's neutrality for his ambitions in the Kingdom of Naples.

The region was vital, with its triangular shape bordered by the mountain ranges to the north, the Albera Massif to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the east.

Additionally, this fortress safeguarded the ports of Collioure and Port-Vendres, ensuring the provision of supplies and reinforcements to the regional capital of Roussillon.

When Vauban, the military architect of King Louis XIV, conducted a reconnaissance of the defensive structures in the Collioure region in 1659, he opted to construct a counterscarp.

Around 1780, the fort's facade was whitewashed to serve as a landmark visible from the sea, aiding in the identification of the port of Port-Vendres in conjunction with the Massane Tower.

Today, the floor is adorned with historical artefacts dating from the 15th to 19th centuries: helmets, knights’ armour, chests, polished-stone and iron cannonballs, medieval and Renaissance weapons (culverin, falconet, crossbows, halberds, flails, hammers, lances, bows, swords, arquebus, 16th-century pistols), and fragments of howitzers.

Other rooms showcase the monument's history, including the genealogy and life of Charles V, the fortifications of Vauban, the inventory of 1770, and the attack led by General Jacques François Dugommier in 1794.