Lantern Tower (La Rochelle)

Lantern Tower
Native names Tour de la Lanterne (French) Tower of the Four Sergeants (English) Garrot tower (English)
Priest tower
Tour de la Lanterne
Location	La Rochelle, France
Nearest city	La Rochelle
Coordinates	46°09′21″N01°09′25″W / 46.15583°N 1.15694°W / 46.15583; -1.15694
Height	180 feet (55 m)
Founded	1209
Original use	Protection of the entrance to the primitive port of La Rochelle
Restored	2015
Architectural style	Medieval
Governing body	Building managed by the CMN (Center des Monuments Nationaux)
Owner	Government
Website	la-rochelle.monuments-nationaux.fr
Monument historique

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

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]

Engraving of the 4 sergeants of La Rochelle before their execution

See also

• Centre des monuments nationaux
• Vauclair castle
• La Rochelle Cathedral

References

1. Base Mérimée : Saint-Nicolas tower , Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
2. "Lantern Tower in La Rochelle". viafrance.com. Via France. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
3. "The Lantern Tower (La Tour de la Lanterne)". poitou-charentes-vendee.com. Poitou Charentes Vendee. Retrieved 26 January 2020.

External links

 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