In Occitan Aigas Mòrtas means standing water, and thus was the name to be given to this village surrounded by swampy lagoons. It is said that salt has been harvested here since antiquity and the Charlemagne ordered a tower to be built in order to ensure the safety of the workers and fisherman. His tower, the Tour Matafère, was later destroyed and replaced with the Tour Constance that served as a prison during the religious wars.
Saint-Louis had a soft spot in his heart for Aigues-Mortes. He loved it so much the he decided to buy the land from the Benedictines, construct a city, and built a port. The port offered the kingdom an opening to the Orient. On August 28th, 1248 just outside the city, over six hundred ships set sail for Cyprus. The tons of weapons, supplies, men and horses were setting out on the first Crusade led by Louis IX in hopes of saving the Holy Sepulchre.
Finally finished at the beginning of the 14th century, the city had taken thirty years and seen three different kings to complete the fortifications and give the city the look that it still conserves today. As the men tirelessly worked on the wall they signed their work as any artist does, engraving their identity in the stone for eternity.
Born from the dreams of a king, the city of Aigues-Mortes has survived the centuries. It has triumphed wars and the weather to survive in an incredibly well state of conservation today.
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