Cordouan lighthouse () is an active
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
located at sea, near the mouth of the
Gironde estuary
The Gironde estuary ( , US usually ; french: estuaire de la Gironde, ; oc, estuari de aGironda, ) is a navigable estuary (though often referred to as a river) in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Gar ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. At a height of , it is the tenth-tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world.
The Tour de Cordouan, the 'Patriarch of Lighthouses' is by far the oldest lighthouse in France, with construction starting in 1584 and finishing in 1611. Designed by leading Paris architect , the lighthouse is something of a Renaissance masterpiece, drawing inspiration from Roman mausoleums, and the palaces, cathedrals, and forts of the Renaissance.
Three stories were added in the 18th century.
Because of its outstanding Renaissance architecture and its testimony to the development of lighthouses, the Cordouan Lighthouse was listed as a
historic monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...
in 1862, and recognized by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
as a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
in 2021.
History
Small beacon towers had existed on the islet since 880, but the first proper structure was implemented by
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, su ...
, as
Guienne
Guyenne or Guienne (, ; oc, Guiana ) was an old French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of '' Aquitania Secunda'' and the archdiocese of Bordeaux.
The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transformation o ...
was then an English province. It was high, with a platform on top where a wood fire could be kept burning, and occupied by a
hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
. Passing ships paid two
groats
Groats (or in some cases, "berries") are the hulled kernels of various cereal grains, such as oat, wheat, rye, and barley. Groats are whole grains that include the cereal germ and fiber-rich bran portion of the grain, as well as the endospe ...
to pass - the first known instance of lighthouse dues. In addition to the tower, a small chapel was built on the islet. By the second half of the 16th century the tower had fallen into disrepair and the hazard to navigation threatened the Bordeaux wine trade. This led to the construction of the current Tour de Cordouan.
Design
![Cordouanchastillon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Cordouanchastillon.jpg)
Using limestone dressed blocks, De Foix first built a round base in diameter and high to take the onslaught of the waves.
Within it was a cavity for storing water and other supplies. Above it were constructed four storeys of diminishing size. The ground floor consisted of a circular tower in diameter, with apartments for four keepers around its inner wall. In the centre was a richly decorated entrance hall of and high. The second storey was the King's Apartment, consisting of a drawing room,
anteroom
A vestibule (also anteroom, antechamber, or foyer) is a small room leading into a larger space such as a lobby, entrance hall or passage, for the purpose of waiting, withholding the larger space view, reducing heat loss, providing storage space ...
and a number of closets. The third storey was a chapel with a domed roof notable for the beauty of its mosaic. Above this was secondary lantern, and above that the Lantern itself. This was above the sea and visible away, the original light being provided by burning oak chips in a metal container.
Throughout the building, de Foix took as much trouble with the decor as with the durability of the building, and on every floor was a profusion of gilt, carved work, elegantly arched doorways and statuary.
Extension
The first parabolic lamps were added in 1782, but the lighthouse at the time was in very poor condition. Sailors also criticized the lack of height of the light. Major renovations were needed. They were carried out from 1782 to 1789 by the engineer Joseph Teulère, who suggested raising the 30-metre tower, whilst retaining the ground floor and two floors in the Louis XVI style. The simplicity of the new floors contrasted with the wealth of the lower floors, which retained their Renaissance decoration.
In 1790, after the lighthouse was raised 60 metres above the highest tides, Teulère devised the first turning lighting dish. It consisted of
Argand lamp
The Argand lamp is a type of oil lamp invented in 1780 by Aimé Argand. Its output is 6 to 10 candelas, brighter than that of earlier lamps. Its more complete combustion of the candle wick and oil than in other lamps required much less frequent ...
s turned by a machine built by a watchmaker in Dieppe. The fuel was a mixture of whale oil, olive oil and rapeseed oil.
The first
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships."
The design allows the c ...
rotating system, the invention of
Augustin-Jean Fresnel
Augustin-Jean Fresnel (10 May 1788 – 14 July 1827) was a French civil engineer and physicist whose research in optics led to the almost unanimous acceptance of the wave theory of light, excluding any remnant of Isaac Newton, Newton's co ...
, was installed in Cordouan in 1823. Three concentric lamp wicks, supplied with rapeseed oil by means of a suction and force pump, were placed in the focal plane of the apparatus.
It was restored in 1855 and made a historical monument in 1862, at the same time as
Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...
. The original Fresnel lens was replaced by the present lens in 1854.
The light was converted to petroleum gas in 1907 and to electricity in 1948, when a 6,000 W lamp was used. The lamp was replaced by a 450 W
xenon lamp in 1984 but this was not successful, and a
halogen lamp
A halogen lamp (also called tungsten halogen, quartz-halogen, and quartz iodine lamp) is an incandescent lamp consisting of a tungsten filament sealed in a compact transparent envelope that is filled with a mixture of an inert gas and a small ...
was installed three years later. The lighthouse was fully automated in 2006, although lighthouse keepers are still employed.
Indeed, unlike in other lighthouses, maintaining continued keeping in Cordouan was deemed necessary to preserve this especially old and historic lighthouse, as well as to show visitors around. The last two State-employed, "traditional" keepers left in 2012 and were replaced by members of SMIDDEST, a local association. Cordouan is therefore the last inhabited lighthouse in France, after the
Cap Fréhel lighthouse saw its last keeper depart in August 2019.
See also
*
List of lighthouses in France
This is a list of lighthouses in France. It includes the French overseas territories.
Metropolitan France
French Overseas Departments and Territories
* List of lighthouses in Guadeloupe
* List of lighthouses in French Guiana
* List of li ...
*
List of tallest lighthouses in the world
This is a list of the tallest lighthouses, by tower height (as opposed to focal height, i.e. height of the lamp of a lighthouse from water level). The list includes only "traditional lighthouses", as defined by ''The Lighthouse Directory'', i.e. bu ...
References
*
*
External links
Cordouan lighthouse official website: virtual visit, 3D restitution, more than 800 documents about Cordouan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordouan Lighthouse
Lighthouses completed in 1611
Towers completed in 1611
Lighthouses in France
Buildings and structures in Gironde
Monuments historiques of Gironde
Tourist attractions in Gironde
World Heritage Sites in France