In 1524, and again in 1536, the castle was attacked and taken by the Spaniards, who, on the latter occasion, were commanded by the famous Genoese Captain Andrea Doria, on the part of Charles V. Some additional buildings were added by the Spaniards to render the castle more defensible according to the ideas of the sixteenth century. A narrow gangway only 4 to 5 feet wide was built, by which alone access could be obtained to the entrance doorway; and this was defended by a double doorway at its outer end, where also it could only be reached by a narrow stair placed at right angles. To the north of this was a ditch and drawbridge. An outer wall seems also to have enclosed the castle on the west side, and some additional buildings were erected at the south-west angle, but these have now almost entirely crumbled away. This ancient ruin, so interesting historically and architecturally, is not less so artistically. Whether we regard the venerable aspect of the antique cloister or the rich golden colour of the exterior, contrasting so beautifully with the dark-green of the pines and the deep blue of the southern sea and sky, nothing could be more charming or delightful. After the above dates the castle seems to have been garrisoned by the Crown of France, and was frequently taken and retaken by the Spaniards and the French. It was at this period that the Chapel of Ste Trinité was heightened, and fortified with two cannons; while, at the same time, other batteries were erected at different points round the island. Meanwhile the monastery had dwindled away, but the monks still retained their suzerainty over Cannes, Vallauris, Napoule, and other villages on the mainland. Finally, in 1788, the number of monks had become reduced to four, when, on the request of the Bishop of Grasse, the monastery was secularised. Thereafter the island has several times changed hands, and now it is occupied by a body of Cistertian Monks, who cultivate the soil and superintend an orphanage. [Illustration: FIG. 175. CASTLE OF STE MARGUÉRITE.] The adjoining island of STE MARGUÉRITE has but little interest architecturally. The fort, which is built on the precipitous rock on the north side of the island, facing the Croisette point at the eastern extremity of the bay of Cannes, was erected by Richelieu. Scarcely finished, it was attacked and taken by the Spaniards in 1635, who enlarged it, and after being recovered by the French, was repaired by Vauban. The view of the castle from the Croisette is picturesque and pleasing (Fig. 175); but the only point worth inspecting close at hand is the prison in which the “man with the iron mask” was confined by Louis XIV. for seventeen years. The extreme thickness of the walls (above 12 feet), the window defended by three successive gratings in the depth of the wall, the double doors covered with iron studs and secured with iron bars, give some idea of the importance of that mysterious prisoner.