On a rocky islet, at the mouth of the Gironde estuary, majestically stands the Cordouan lighthouse, which has guided ships since the beginning of the XNUMXth century. Take your boots, it's time to meet him.
Say, tell me the story ofu Cordouan lighthouse
The tower of the Black Prince is in very poor condition, and the construction of a new lighthouse is necessary. From the end of the 25th century, the King of France, Henri III, entrusted the construction of the lighthouse to the architect Louis de Foix, who drew up the plans for a building in the image of the lighthouse of Alexandria, a monument worthy of the ancient wonders of the world ! The site is a real challenge, because the site is difficult to access and the maritime environment in which it finds itself particularly hostile. The first project provides for a three-storey round tower, the work of which is slow to carry out, in the troubled context of the Wars of Religion. Work continued under the reign of Henry IV: the monarch approved a new, much more sumptuous project, which provided for the addition of a chapel, royal apartments and rich ornaments. For this, he allocates large sums and the work lasts until the death of Louis de Foix. XNUMX years of work later, and the building is complete. For King Henry IV, newly converted to Catholicism to accede to the throne, this place of worship within the lighthouse is a great way to display his faith in the eyes of all his subjects.
The monument, of great elegance, is very inspired by Italian art with its decoration of statues, its stained glass windows, its marble floors. This architecture is innovative for its time and a true technical tour de force. It even evokes the works of Michelangelo and Vignola, combining coffered cupolas, composite capitals and rich sculptures. The monument is consolidated and restored at the time of Louis XIV.
Despite all the care it receives, the Louis de Foix lighthouse is weakened by the ocean and bad weather and its upper part is in danger of collapsing. The tower, deemed too small, was therefore raised by raising it by 60 feet. This corresponds to a conical column much more sober in its decoration than the old tower.
The new Cordouan lighthouse has become a modern utilitarian building, designed according to the principles of science and technology, while embodying the ideals of the progress of nations and the development of scientific knowledge of the Enlightenment. The lighthouse, keeper of theGironde estuary, secures navigation and responds to the development of the maritime trade which makes the richness and the notoriety of Bordeaux.
Since its origins, the Cordouan lighthouse has welcomed all innovations in the field of lighting. Teulère developed there the first revolving light with parabolic streetlights, made up of oil lamps and operated by a machine whose fuel was a mixture of whale white, olive oil and rapeseed oil. In 1823, Augustin Fresnel experimented in Cordouan for the first time with the stepped lens, a system with which the majority of lighthouses in the world are equipped today. The lighthouse is still used as a test bed for the development of new types of bulbs.
The Cordouan lighthouse, "king of lighthouses", "lighthouse of kings",
"Versailles of the sea" is the only lighthouse at sea in the world still guarded and open to visitors.
The idea of discovering it seduces you: a speedboat or an amphibious barge drops you off at the foot of the lighthouse.
A real adventure!
Cordouan lighthouse
Le verdon-sur-mer
Classified as a Historic Monument, the Cordouan lighthouse has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since July 24, 2021.
To see and do near the Cordouan lighthouse
The Grave lighthouse
At the end of the Médoc, facing the majestic Cordouan Lighthouse, on Pointe de Grave, were built in the XNUMXth
century the Saint-Nicolas lighthouse and the Grave lighthouse. The latter is characterized by its square tower lined with
black stones. It houses the Museum of Lighthouses and Beacons which brings together all the models of the six lighthouses of
Gironde, among others. From the top of the tower, almost 30 meters away, the view over the estuary is an opportunity to take a look at Cordouan before embarking on a crossing by the nearby Ferry.
