It is Galère...


When nowadays young people employ this word, they often do not know the meaning of this word. Many died in the chiourme, for few things.

The use of condemned as oarsmen on the royal galères seems to go up in Jacques Coeur in XVème century. The galères of France, having at their head a General of the galères independent of the Admiral de France and been useful by a special body, had right from the start their base in Marseilles; it is in Marseilles that until the medium of XVIIIème century all the installations of Bagne were.
Galère "La Réal"
Galeotis is the name which the Greeks give to the espadon, which recalls by its frayed form the silhouette of Galéasses (galères). A comparative examination of the proportions of the galère and espadon reveal a disconcerting correspondence.
The first long warships to oars, are phenicians, Athenian then Roman. At the Average Age appeared the galères byzantines in the form of dromons, with 2 rows of superimposed oars, soon followed competing ships, developed in Venice, Naples and Marseilles.
Towards the end of the Average Age, and especially during first half of XVIe century, the composition of the crew of the oarsmen calls more and more upon the slaves or prisoners and with condemned or convicts. A word, undoubtedly of Turkish origin, the chiourme, will indicate from now on the whole of those which row irons with the feet.
Agrandir
the Arsenal of the galères
In 1660, Louis XIV removes the consulate of Marseilles and undertakes the construction of strong the Saint Nicolas's Day, directed, not towards the broad one to defend the city, but towards the city itself in order to suppress possible revolts. The replanning of the city which will follow, with its coherent and modern layout (future Canebière and adjacent streets) goes hand in hand with the assertion of the presence of the central State on all space increased and wedged arsenal.
In 1699, Arnoul requires of Pierre Puget, in charge by the City of a plan of urban development, a project of extension of the arsenal: an ideal city of the galères is imagined from the point of view utopian pointing out Ledoux. The project will remain in the paperboards.
With its place, two covered wet docks will be built, the hospital of the convicts will be seen renovated, and the imposing unit will have however noble pace. Moreover, the public shipyard located on the current quay of the Belgians is then expelled towards the basin of the careenage.
At the entry of the Arsenal of the *galères, there is a monumental gate above which it engraved there: HANC MAGNUS LADOIX INVICTIS CLASSIBUS ARCEM CONDIDIR HINC DOMITA DAT SUR JUVE NARI. Then one penetrates in a large square court, flanked of a house to each one of his angles and of one 5th surmounted of a clock where is 40 stores of the galères on the quay of Bank-new, two buildings, two hospitals and the penitentiary close the Arsenal.
What causes the most admiration is the room of weapons.

New districts are then created towards the south, architecture is taken in hands by Mathieu Portal, Gaspard Puget and his/her cousin, Pierre Puget. The Marseillais can also attend the construction of new ramparts.
The long personal reign of Louis XIV with thus transformed Marseilles. The travellers of XVIIIe century will admire the great course prolonged by the streets of Aix and Rome which was regarded as one of the most beautiful prospects for Europe.