Lantern Tower (La Rochelle)
Lantern Tower | |
---|---|
Native names French: Tour de la Lanterne English: Tower of the Four Sergeants English: Garrot tower | |
Priest tower | |
![]() Tour de la Lanterne | |
Location | La Rochelle, France |
Nearest city | La Rochelle |
Coordinates | 46°09′21″N 01°09′25″W / 46.15583°N 1.15694°W |
Height | 180 feet (55 m) |
Founded | 1209 |
Original use | Protection of the entrance to the primitive port of La Rochelle |
Restored | 2015 |
Architectural style(s) | Medieval |
Governing body | Building managed by the CMN (Center des Monuments Nationaux) |
Owner | Government |
Website | la-rochelle |
The Lantern Tower (French: tour de la Lanterne) is one of the three medieval historic towers in La Rochelle, Poitou-Charentes, France, which guarded the port at Aunis. The Lantern tower served as a Lighthouse and a prison throughout its history. It was also known by other names: Garrot tower, Priest tower, and Four Sergeant tower. In 1789 the French government declared it a Monument historique[1]
History
[edit]The original purpose of the tower was to watch ship traffic in the port. It also served as a lighthouse. In the 1500s the tower was used to imprison priests.[2] It was a multi-purpose building: used both as a lighthouse and a prison. The tower was used to watch the Aunis coastline during the middle ages; and it was used to guide ships into port. Throughout its history it was also used to house prisoners: first priests, then sailors, and finally prisoners from the Wars of the Vendée.[3]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/4sergentsdelarochelle.jpeg/170px-4sergentsdelarochelle.jpeg)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Base Mérimée: Saint-Nicolas tower, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- ^ "Lantern Tower in La Rochelle". viafrance.com. Via France. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ "The Lantern Tower (La Tour de la Lanterne)". poitou-charentes-vendee.com. Poitou Charentes Vendee. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
External links
[edit] Media related to Tour de la Lanterne at Wikimedia Commons
- Saint-Barthélémy bell-tower at Structurae
- La Rochelle et Son Histoire: Tours (in French)
- Église paroissiale Saint-Barthélemy à La Rochelle (in French)
- Photos, French Ministry of Culture