The history of the Sanguinaires Islands: name, towers, lazaret and Daudet

The history of the Sanguinaires comes down to a few dates: the Parata tower, built in 1550-1551 against Barbary raids; a second tower on Mezzu Mare, demolished in the 19th century for the lighthouse; a quarantine lazaret for coral fishermen in 1806; the signal station in 1865; the current lighthouse in 1870, where Alphonse Daudet stayed. Sold in 1959 to a property company that wanted to develop them, the islands were eventually protected and the site awarded the Grand Site de France label in 2017.

Key dates

Where the name comes from

Several explanations circulate. The most poetic: the crimson light that bloodies the rocks just before sunset. The most botanical: sea heath, a small plant whose leaves turn bright red in autumn. Another theory points to the Gulf of Sagone: a 1595 map speaks of « Sagonares insulae », the islands that announce Sagone. But Ortelius was already writing « Sangianare isole » in 1573 and 1584.

The Genoese towers

The Parata tower is one of some 90 Genoese towers built to defend the Corsican coast against Barbary raids. Its Genoese name, Sanguinara di terra, set it against the “sea” tower on Mezzu Mare, built in 1590. Three guards manned the first, five the second. The sea tower was demolished to build the lighthouse; the Parata tower, restored in 2025-2026, can be reached on foot from Parata Point.

Coral fishermen, the lighthouse and Daudet

In 1806, Mezzu Mare became a health station: the lazaret quarantined coral fishermen returning from Africa for forty days, against plague and cholera. It only operated for nine years. The lighthouse followed in 1844 and was rebuilt in 1870. Alphonse Daudet stayed there in 1863; his story « Le Phare des Sanguinaires », published in Le Figaro on 22 August 1869, describes the keepers’ life. Details on the Mezzu Mare page.

A site saved

In 1959, the islands were sold to a property company that planned to build on them and link them to La Parata by cable car. The project failed. The site joined the Grands Sites de France network in 2008 and received the label in 2017. Saint-Antoine chapel, built in 1954 by Franciscans for the nearby military air base, no longer holds services.