Blaye is a city famous for its mighty citadel built according to a design by Sebastian Vauban in the 17th century. Together with other defensive works by this architect, it is inscribed on the UNESCO list.
According to tradition, Blaye was to be the burial place for the hero of one of the most important Frankish tales, Knight Roland. The ruins of the basilica where his supposed tomb is located are now part of the 17th century citadel.
In the 17th century, France undertook the work of strengthening its borders by building numerous fortresses. Their designer was the engineer and architect Sebastian Vauban. One of the points of this plan was the fortifications around Bordeaux. From the sea, the city was to be defended by the Blaye Citadel.
The biggest attraction of Blaye, the citadel entered on the UNESCO list, occupies a hill above the city and on the backwaters of the Girona River. In addition to the defensive walls and bastions built by Vauban, the site also includes the ruins of the medieval castle Rudel and the remains of the pre-Romanesque Saint-Romain basilica with the tombs of the kings of Aquitaine Charibert II and Clotaire II. Sep. together with Forts Medoc and Pate, they formed a defensive structure considered to be one of the best examples of defensive architecture at the time of construction.
