In 1539, the lords of Genoa requested the Office of San Giorgio, the wealthy Genoese bank, to finance a citadel in Porto-Vecchio. The Lords wanted the citadel to help develop the export of food to Genoa. The citadel was also needed to strengthen the protection of Porto-Vecchio from Barbary raids. The citadel was destroyed and rebuilt three times between 1540 and 1589. When Genoa ceded Corsica to the French, Louis XV made this citadel the "Bastion of France" by installing large numbers of troops.