Phare de Gatteville, also known as Pointe de Barfleur Light, 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 ...

near

Gatteville-le-Phare Gatteville-le-Phare () is a commune in the Manche department in north-western France. See also *Communes of the Manche department *Antipodes Islands, the exact antipodes In geography, the antipode () of any spot on Earth is the point o ...

at the tip of

Barfleur Barfleur () is a commune and fishing village in Manche, Normandy, northwestern France. History During the Middle Ages, Barfleur was one of the chief ports of embarkation for England. * 1066: A large medallion fixed to a rock in the harbour ...

Manche Manche (, ) is a coastal French département in Normandy, on the English Channel, which is known as ''La Manche'', literally "the sleeve", in French. It had a population of 495,045 in 2019.department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

, in the

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

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 third tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world.

History

Strong currents and many shipwrecks at the tip of Barfleur, the most famous of which being the ''

White Ship The ''White Ship'' (french: la Blanche-Nef; Medieval Latin: ''Candida navis'') was a vessel transporting many nobles, including the heir to the English throne, that sank in the Channel during a trip from France to England near the Normandy ...

'', necessitated building a lighthouse at the location. In 1774 a cylindrical granite lighthouse with a stone rectangular main building were built. The lighthouse was topped with a coal fire. It was first lit on November 1, 1775, and was originally called Phare de Barfleur (Barfleur Lighthouse). In September 1780 the lantern was replaced with 16 oil lamps with a fire glazed glass lantern and Tourtille-Sangrain reflectors. In 1825 an upgrade of the lens was planned, requiring raising the tower an additional , but the building proved not to be wide enough. Thus, the architect Charles-Félix Morice de la Rue drew plans for the tallest lighthouse in the world for that time. It was built from the old lighthouse. Building took place from 1829 to 1835 and the light was first lit on April 1, 1835. The smaller tower's lantern was removed, and it was turned into a

semaphore Semaphore (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when arra ...

. It remains on site. Vegetable oil was used until 1873, when it was replaced by mineral oil. On May 20, 1891, the name of the lighthouse was changed to Phare de Gatteville (Gatteville Lighthouse). On January 17, 1893, the lantern was replaced with an electric lantern. Sautter-Harle mercury bearings were installed in 1903. In 1944 the lighthouse was liberated without major damage and quickly returned to operation. In 1948 it was connected to the electrical network. The lighthouse remained open to the public until 1996, when it was closed for renovation. It reopened July 5, 1997, as a lighthouse museum.

Structure and light

The tower is cylindrical with a gallery and a lantern. It is in diameter at the base and at the bridge. It is attached to a 2-story keeper's complex which forms a U-shape around the base of the tower. Visitors can climb 365 stairs to reach the gallery. The current light is a 1600 watt xenon lamp. One lamp is lit on clear days and two on bad weather.

Appearance in media

The 1981 film ''

Diva Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is clo ...

'' by

Jean-Jacques Beineix Jean-Jacques Beineix (; 8 October 1946 – 13 January 2022) was a French film director best known for the films ''Diva'' and ''Betty Blue''. His work is regarded as a prime example of the '' cinéma du look'' film movement in France. Early life ...

was partially shot at the lighthouse.

References

* under "Pointe de Barfleur". * under "Gatteville (Pointe de Barfleur) (2)" {{Authority control , additional=Q108556467 Lighthouses completed in 1775 Towers completed in 1775 Lighthouses completed in 1835 Buildings and structures in Manche Lighthouse museums Lighthouses in France Lighthouses of the English Channel Maritime museums in France Museums in Manche