Visit the Cordouan lighthouse: an adventure between sky and sea
The Cordouan lighthouse is the last lighthouse at sea still open to the public.Access to the lighthouse is exclusively by boat, departing from Royan or Verdon-sur-Mer. From the port of Royan, the La Mermaid Cruises offer regular departures that include the crossing and a visit to the lighthouse. The crossing lasts approximately 45 minutes, followed by a supervised and secure disembarkation on the islet of Cordouan. For those who have their own boat, entry to the lighthouse must be paid directly to the keepers upon arrival.
The visit to the Cordouan lighthouse is generally at low tide from April to All Saints' Day. Once disembarked, you must plan a walk of about 15 to 20 minutes on the sand, sometimes with your feet in the water up to our knees, to reach the lighthouse. On site, the lighthouse keepers welcome us and present the history and particularities of this unique monument. The ascent of the lighthouse is then free, allowing you to discover its different rooms and enjoy a panoramic view of the Gironde estuary.
Live the experience
Practical advice for a successful visit
- Dress code : wear closed shoes that are easy to remove (avoid flip-flops), swim shorts or roll-up pants, and clothing suitable for the weather conditions
- Equipment : take a towel, water, sunscreen and a windbreaker, even in summer
- Booking : it is advisable to book your cruise several days in advance, especially during high season
- Accessibility : Access to the lighthouse requires good physical condition due to walking on the sand and climbing the 301 steps of the lighthouse
The Cordouan lighthouse,
“Versailles by the Sea”
The Cordouan lighthouse is located at the entrance to the largest estuary in Europe, theGironde estuary, 7 kilometers from the coast of Charente-Maritime, off the coast of Royan. It is the last lighthouse in France to still be inhabited by keepers who take turns there each week. At night, its fire radiates up to 40 kilometers around. It projects a luminous signal on the horizon divided into three sequences which are repeated every 12 seconds. Faced with the disorders of the ocean, the white tower of the Cordouan lighthouse imposes its watchmaking precision, the quiet strength and the extreme finesse of its architecture, richly worked in Saintonge stone.
The lighthouse of kings, the king of lighthouses
Perched on its throne of rock and sand, the Cordouan lighthouse is one of the ten highest in the world with its 68 meters high. In France, only the lighthouses of Ile-Vierge (Finistère) and Gatteville (Manche) manage to surpass it in height. We call him "lighthouse of kings" ou "king of headlights". On the one hand, it emphasizes the monarchical symbol that it represents. Indeed, it was dedicated to the glory of the monarchs Henri III and Henri IV. And, on the other hand, it illustrates its majesty in the face of the harshness of the natural elements.
The construction of the primitive monument began in the midst of the Wars of Religion, under the direction of the architect Louis de Foix (1584). It is then limited to the first two floors of the current building. It ends almost 30 years later, after the end of the reign of Henri IV. The lighthouse so dazzled its contemporaries that they did not hesitate to raise it to the rank of "eighth wonder of the world". This title – certainly unofficial – said a lot about the extent of its splendor and the strong impression it had on the collective imagination. At the time, the tower was projecting about forty meters above the sea. It was therefore almost half as high as today.
Its current appearance dates back a little over two centuries. After the death of Louis de Foix in 1602, his foreman succeeded him. Then, at the dawn of the Revolution, the Bordeaux engineer Jean Teulère (1788-1789) raised the original building by nearly 30 meters.
A chapel on the second floor of the lighthouse from cordovan
Its tower is formed of a circular shaft which becomes thinner towards the top. It contrasts by its sobriety with the ornamental generosity of the lower part. It adds four additional floors to the lighthouse, which therefore has six in total. At the first, we find theking's apartment (no crowned head has however stopped there).
A ceremonial room occupies the upper level from which a staircase of 301 steps leading to the 6th floor lantern. Here, the old fire fueled by coal, olive oil and whale sperm has been replaced by a 250 watt halogen lamp. It is accompanied by a Fresnel lenticular apparatus which brings together the rays of light.
A lighthouse listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The lighthouse is classified Historic Monument in 1862, the same year as Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. In 2017, he was then recognized as "masterpiece of human creative genius". It is both a maritime signaling structure and a building of prodigious architecture given its hostile maritime environment. Crossing the centuries, its construction illustrates the significant periods in the history of lighthouses in the world:
- the development of maritime trade
- the symbolic marking of borders
- or technological innovation with the fresnel lens.
It is these criteria in particular that justify the “Outstanding Universal Value” of the Cordouan lighthouse. They allow him to be registered in the Unesco World Heritage as "cultural property", the July 24, 2021. It becomes the 47th French site to receive this distinction. It therefore joins major sites such as the Taj Mahal or the Great Wall of China.
Length of the video: 2 minutes 11
