The Palais du Pharo () is a palace in
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
,
southern France
Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...
, overlooking the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
, west of the
Old Port (Vieux-Port). It was built in
Second Empire style
Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly Eclecticism in architecture, eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts originating in the Second French Empire. It was characterized by elements of many differe ...
by Emperor
Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
for
Empress Eugénie, starting in 1858. However, at the fall of the
Second Empire in 1870, the building had just been finished. Nowadays, the palace and its gardens are used for events, with the park open to the public. In 2025 it became a ''
monument historique
() is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...
'', celebrating its significance in local heritage.
History
In 1884, amid a cholera epidemic, the palace was transformed into a hospital. For the rest of the century, under the
Third Republic, it was used for the treatment of cholera and tuberculosis victims. From 1905 to 2013, an institute for the study of tropical medicines, the École du Pharo, operated in a building in the palace park, part of the
French Armed Forces Health Service. Since 2015,
Aix-Marseille University
Aix-Marseille University (AMU; ; formally incorporated as ) is a Public university, public research university located in the Provence region of southern France. It was founded in 1409 when Louis II of Anjou, List of rulers of Provence, Count of ...
has its headquarters in the building.
See also
*
École du Pharo
References
External links
*
{{coord, 43.2942, N, 5.3581, E, source:wikidata, display=title
7th arrondissement of Marseille
Buildings and structures in Marseille
Palaces in France
Napoleon III
Imperial residences in France
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