The Pertuis d'Antioche

The Pertuis d'Antioche is a strait located in the department of Charente-Maritime and separating the island of Ré (to the north) from the island of Oléron (to the south).
To the west, the sluice opens onto the Atlantic Ocean . Towards the east, from north to south, are the port of La Rochelle , the town of Châtelaillon-Plage , the Ile d'Aix opposite the Pointe de Fouras , the Charente estuary between Fouras and the Isle Madame .

The end of the Pertuis is located at the level of the Oléron viaduct between Le Château-d'Oléron and the tip of Chapus ( Marennes ).

Fort Boyard

Fort Boyard is a fortification located on a shoal formed by a sandbank originally called the "Boyard longe" which is discovered at low tide and is located in the Pertuis d'Antioche between the island of 'Aix to the east, Île d'Oléron to the west, Île Madame to the south and Île de Ré to the north, belonging to the Charente archipelago and attached to the commune of Île-d 'Aix.

Its construction dates from the nineteenth century, built to protect the harbor, the mouth of the Charente, the port and especially the great arsenal of Rochefort from the assaults of the English navy, it was transformed into a prison barely a few years after its completion.

It is today a property of the General Council of Charente-Maritime.