The Citadel was built after the siege of Ménerbes (1573-1578, see article on the old prison) to house a garrison of Italian armed men to ensure the permanent protection of the village. The first governor, Francisco Ricciardi, was appointed by Pope Clement VIII in 1594. This system will last until 1791.

Two side towers connect the monument to the rampart. A first round tower to the right of the portal is linked to the main body. On the other side, it is a watchtower which completes a circulation gallery and which overhangs the street leading to the Portail Neuf (built in 1751 and now disappeared) .In the main facade, the entrance gate was surmounted by the origin of a bretèche carried by crows. Above the portal, a sculpture represents the weighing of souls.

In the 17th century, the Citadel was a “city within the city”, with its bread oven and its large reserves of food and equipment to face a possible siege, the Huguenot threat lasting until the 1680s. Everything you need ( firewood, oats for horses, flour) was provided by the inhabitants at the expense of the community of Ménerbes which also paid the salaries or "fastigages" of the soldiers and the governor.