The Chain Tower (1384) (French:La tour de la Chaîne) along with the

Lantern tower In architecture, the lantern tower is a tall construction above the junction of the four arms of a cruciform (cross-shaped) church, with openings through which light from outside can shine down to the crossing (so it also called a crossing lante ...

and the

Saint Nicolas Tower Saint Nicolas Tower (1384) along with the Lantern tower and the Chain tower, is one of the three medieval towers guarding the port in La Rochelle, France. In 1879 the French government classified it as a Monument historique (MH). History The Sai ...

, is one of the three

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

towers guarding the port in

La Rochelle, France La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

. It is called the Chain tower because an actual chain was stretched across the port entrance from this building. In 1879 the French government classified it as a

Monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...

(MH).

History

This tower along with the

stood at the entryway to the Port of La Rochelle. The way this tower got its name: at times throughout history a chain was stretched between the two buildings to stop ships from entering. Throughout history the building was also used to store gunpowder. The tower has not changed much since the 14th century.

References

External links

*
La Rochelle et Son Histoire: Tours

French Ministry of Culture {{DEFAULTSORT:Chain Tower, The Buildings and structures in La Rochelle Tourist attractions in La Rochelle Historic sites in France Monuments historiques of Nouvelle-Aquitaine

History

See also

References

External links