History, Art & Architecture
article | Reading time5 min
The Campana Barracks, the first to be built in Mont-Dauphin – as providing accommodation for soldiers was a priority – exemplifies the military organisation devised by Vauban. With its 56 rooms, it could accommodate up to 672 soldiers.
A building in the heart of the garrison town
From the very first years of Mont-Dauphin’s construction, accommodation for the soldiers was a priority. The Campana barracks were therefore one of the first military buildings to be built, alongside the stronghold’s fortifications. They were designed to house the garrison and provide the soldiers with accommodation suited to military life.
Like the other barracks at Mont-Dauphin, the Campana Barracks are situated close to the ramparts. This layout was based on strategic considerations: in the event of an attack, the soldiers needed to be able to reach the defensive works quickly. It also served to clearly distinguish the military areas from the quarters reserved for the civilian population.
©Amandine Amerdeil - CMN
The Campana barracks are considered to be the first barracks built within the stronghold, around 1695. However, documents relating to the building site show that work on the military buildings began as soon as the Mont-Dauphin site was opened in 1693. The barracks were among the first structures required for the rapid deployment of troops, alongside the powder magazine, the military bakery and the guardhouse.
Its design is based on a repetitive layout comprising seven adjoining modules. Each module comprises four separate dormitories per storey, accessed via a central staircase. The building has two storeys, topped by a grain loft.
In total, the barracks comprise 56 dormitories. Each can accommodate twelve men, giving a theoretical capacity of 672 soldiers. The contracts awarded for the construction specifically mention masonry work, stone-cutting and the construction of staircases and chimneys.
The Campana barracks form part of a military organisation designed to cover the entire stronghold. In Vauban’s time, Mont-Dauphin was home to a garrison whose numbers varied according to military requirements and royal policy. The permanent presence of soldiers thus shaped village life, providing work for craftsmen, traders and suppliers.
The location of the barracks near the ramparts enabled troops to be mobilised quickly in the event of an attack. In Mont-Dauphin, where the spatial layout followed a very precise military logic, the garrison buildings thus formed an essential part of the defensive system devised at the end of the 17th century.
What was life like in the barracks?
The soldiers’ daily life is very different from what one might imagine today. The barracks are communal and house twelve men. There are four beds in each room, but each bed is shared by three soldiers. This arrangement makes it possible, in particular, to organise guard duties: whilst some of the men sleep, others remain on duty.
Comfort is basic. The beds consist of planks and straw, whilst each dormitory has a fireplace used for both heating and cooking. The soldiers eat their meals together, which mainly consist of soup and bread.
At the start of the construction of Mont-Dauphin, as the barracks were not yet complete, the soldiers sometimes had to sleep in tents or be accommodated in local homes, particularly in Mont-Dauphin, Guillestre or Saint-Crépin. This situation persisted until the early 18th century, with the completion of the Campana and Binot barracks.
Moreover, the first soldiers stationed at the building site were not solely military personnel: they themselves took part in the construction work on the fortress, alongside the many labourers and craftsmen mobilised for the project.
New uses
Following the decommissioning of Mont-Dauphin’s military facilities in 1965, the future of the former military buildings gradually took shape. Unlike several other buildings, which were transferred to the Ministry of Culture and subsequently managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux, the Campana barracks were acquired by the municipality of Mont-Dauphin. They were then converted into social housing and a craft centre.
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