The Most Beautiful Lighthouse in the World
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Reprinted from the U. S. Lighthouse Society's The Keeper's Log - Winter 2000 <www.uslhs.org> The Most Beautiful Lighthouse in theWorld By George Worthylake and Leslie Blanchard Chatillon's drawing (circa 1612) of the Cordouan Lighthouse showing the original tower with timber piling around the base to prevent erosion. A "donut" structure was constructed to surround the tower at a later date. “The Gulf of Gascony, from Cordouan to Michelet’s description, highly ledge is completely submerged at high tide. Biarritz, is a sea of contradictions; an enigma colored as it is, does not exag- But, as recently as the 15th century it was an of a strife and struggle. As it stretches south- gerate the chaotic fury of island connected by a narrow peninsula to the ward it suddenly acquires an extraordinary this 120-mile-stretch of sea- Medoc coast. And, in fact, was an island when depth and becomes an abyss in which the coast between the Spanish the present lighthouse was begun at the end of waters are swallowed up. An ingenious border and the great estuary the 16th century. naturalist has compared it to a gigantic funnel, of the Gironde River. The The swift, ever-shifting and unpredict- which abruptly absorbs all that pours into it. entrance of this waterway to able ocean currents rage with special violence The flood, escaping from it under an awful Bordeaux is flanked by two around the mouth of the Gironde. The entire pressure, [mounts] to a height of which our narrow channels bristling area is strewn with sunken rocks and shifting seas afford no other example.” with hidden reefs and an outcropping known sandbanks menacing the ships attempting — Jules Michelet as the Island of Cordouan. Approximately to thread their way through the obstruction French historian (1798 -1874) 3,000 feet long and 1,500 feet wide, this rocky enroute to the ancient port city of Bordeaux. Reprinted from The Keeper's Log—Winter 2005 <www.uslhs.org> As early as the reign of Charlemagne var- lighthouse each night. Also on the small island of 1584 and gave him two years to complete ious beacons have been erected near the mouth were a chapel – where prayers were offered for the project. of the river, assisting mariners who navigated seamen – and a few homes of pilots and local De Foix’s spectacular design was in accord the area. Legend has it that in 880 AD, Char- fishermen. The tower seems to have fallen into with French tradition at that time, that a public lemagne, or his successor, constructed a chapel disrepair soon after completion and was the building should be a credit to the period of the on the island with a provision for sounding source of increasing complaints from the mar- construction and ‘excite the admiration of pos- trumpets to warn sailors away from the island iners who plied the local waters. terity.’ But de Foix grossly under estimated the during reduced visibility. difficulty and cost of constructing a lighthouse The medieval chronicles of Matthew of at so remote and inaccessible a location. By Paris record that commercial relations were the time he began his work the peninsula to established between the Gascon region and the coast had disappeared. The isolated rock the city of Cordouan in the 13th century. Ships was surrounded by jagged wave-lashed stones. transporting leathers from the south to Bor- It was accessible only by a small shingle beach deaux passed vessels sailing downriver with and then only by small boat and at low tide. wine from Bordeaux. As shipping increased so By the end of the first year de Foix had a crew did the number of vessels lost at the dangerous of 80 men working on the lighthouse. Seven mouth of the Gironde River. The need for a horses moved cut stones from the stone yard to navigation beacon on Cordouan Island became the pier. Six boats manned by 27 sailors trans- imperative. However, there is no record of any- ported supplies and stone out to the island. thing being established prior to 1370. Cordouan Lighthouse as depicted on Hampered by difficulties of weather, transpor- Edward, the Black Prince, administer of the a 1570 chart. tation, landing on the island and escalating English Province of Guienne (now France) was expenses – that immediately started running In 1581, it came to the attention of King responsible for the first seamark on Cordouan. above the original cost estimate – the work Henri III that the lighthouse on Cordouan A charter from 1409 states that a chapel and proceeded very slowly. required repairs. He instructed the engineer- a tower containing equipment ‘necessary for architect Louis de Foix to visit the lighthouse the safety of ships’ had been erected in 1370 and report on the situation. De Foix estimated and that a religious hermit named Gaspardus the cost of repairing the tower at 50,000 ecus- de Lasparre was made keeper. He was given soleils ($1,800,000 in today’s money). As this authority to collect eight pence from all passing was far more than the king expected he con- ships. This is the first known instance of the sidered alternatives, finally deciding on con- collection of lighthouse dues. structing a significant lighthouse to replace A 15th century engraving depicts the the aging and inadequate tower. He approved lighthouse as a 48-foot-tall octagonal tower. de Foix’s design and contract (estimated to A wooden fire was lit on the top of the stone cost $1,400,000 in today’s money) in March Cordouan Lighthouse shown on a 1650 chart. Île de Ré A wall and parapet was begun in 1595 to � AY circle the developing tower and protect it from the encroaching sea. The tower was far from OF Île d’Oléron complete when the designer and builder mys- teriously disappeared in 1602, 18 years after � ISCA Y the project was started. De Foix had met polit- ical and religious difficulties, was in debt, was imprisoned for a spell and had made many G i FRANCE enemies. De Foix’s son, Pierre took over the r o CORDOUAN n project, but he too abandoned the work in d LIGHTHOUSE e 1606 when the ever-mounting costs depleted his funds. The estimated completion cost was now triple the contract price. Finally, Pierre’s foreman, Francois Beusher, took over the project (under a new contract) and finished the tower in 1610 or 11. During BORDEAUX RN the quarter of a century that it took to com- Reprinted from The Keeper's Log—Winter 2005 <www.uslhs.org> Above – Two of the four stained glass windows in the chapel of the lighthouse. Below – The altar of the chapel usually has fresh flowers. Both photos courtesy of member Egbert Koch, Hamburg, Germany. Cordouan Lighthouse in 2000 during the Society's first French Tour. Photo by Ainsley Dixon. The two-room apartment in the outer ring of the lighthouse. The walnut pan- eled sitting room with fireplace was intended for the King's assistant, should he ever visit. In actuality it was used by the French lighthouse inspector. The bedroom is through the far door. Photo by Ainsley Dixon. Reprinted from The Keeper's Log—Winter 2005 <www.uslhs.org> Far left – Two French keepers of the Cordouan Lighthouse in the fixed 1st order Fresnel lens which was installed in 1854. Left – The walnut paneled bedroom for the on-duty keeper. It's located directly below the lantern room. Doors in the wall open to reveal a bed. Below – Detail of the lower, original portion of the tower. The "new" part of the tower extends up from the first decorative ring. Below left – Entrance to the tower. All photos this page courtesy of Egbert Koch, 1966. Reprinted from The Keeper's Log—Winter 2005 <www.uslhs.org> plete the structure the sea had been remain until 1790. Teulere realized eating away at the island. By the time that the light was too low to provide the lighthouse was completed little the necessary range and recommend remained of the island. Beusher con- that the light be elevated. In 1788, he structed a timber barrier to stem ero- had everything above the chapel level sion from the sea, but by 1665 nothing removed and constructed a simpler remained but the lighthouse. design for the upper portion, but a The completed tower is a marvel style that blends in with the original, of decoration and ostentation. The lower portion. The interior of the new donut shaped protection wall sur- tower is open to the level below the rounding the lighthouse contains lantern. A circular staircase spirals quarters for the keepers and storage, around the side of the open tower’s with a two room apartment for the interior. The level below the lantern King’s valet (this was later used by is a walnut-paneled bedroom for the visiting lighthouse inspectors). The keeper on watch. The new 12-sided base of the lighthouse has a large, lantern was 10 feet in diameter with grand entrance hall 52 feet in diam- windows glazed 15 feet high, quite eter. There are two water fountains unusual for that era. The lantern con- on either side of the entrance door. tained a revolving light consisting of Near the entrance are two staircases a triangular frame, rotated by clock leading to the cellars and a water cis- works, and carrying on each face four tern. On either side of the entrance parabolic reflectors, 30 inches in diam- to the entrance hall, prior to the rev- eter.