Saint Nicolas Tower | |
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Native name La tour Saint-Nicolas (French) | |
Location | La Rochelle, France |
Nearest city | La Rochelle |
Coordinates | 46°09′21″N01°09′25″W / 46.15583°N 1.15694°W |
Height | 138 feet (42 m) |
Original use | Gateway to the Old Port of La Rochelle |
Architectural style(s) | Medieval |
Governing body | Building managed by the CMN (Center des Monuments Nationaux) |
Owner | Government |
Website | la-rochelle |
Saint Nicolas Tower (1384) along with the Lantern tower and the Chain tower, is one of the three medieval towers guarding the port in La Rochelle, France. In 1879 the French government classified it as a Monument historique (MH). [1]
The Saint Nicolas Tower was named after the patron saint of sailors, This tower along with the Chain Tower (La tour de la Chaîne) stood at the entryway to the Port of La Rochelle. At times throughout history a chain was stretched between the two buildings to stop ships from entering. the building was also used as a prison throughout its history. [2] The tower looks as it did in the 1400s. [3]
La Rochelle is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With 78,535 inhabitants in 2021, La Rochelle is the most populated commune in the department and ranks fourth in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region after Bordeaux, the regional capital, Limoges and Poitiers.
Poitou-Charentes was an administrative region on the southwest coast of France. It is part of the new region Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. It included the historical provinces of Angoumois, Aunis, Saintonge and Poitou.
Les Sables-d'Olonne is a seaside resort and port on the Atlantic coast of western France. A subprefecture of the department of Vendée, Pays de la Loire, it has the administrative level of commune. On 1 January 2019, the municipalities of Olonne-sur-Mer, Château-d'Olonne and Les Sables-d'Olonne merged, retaining the latter name.
Saintes is a commune and historic town in western France, in the Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Saintes is the second-largest city in Charente-Maritime, with 25,518 inhabitants in 2021. The city's immediate surroundings form the second-most populous metropolitan area in the department, with 56,598 inhabitants. While a majority of the surrounding landscape consists of fertile, productive fields, a significant minority of the region remains forested, its natural state.
Aunis is a historical province of France, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime. Its historic capital is La Rochelle, which took over from Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon) the historic capital which gives its name to the province.
This gallery of French coats of arms shows the coats of arms of the Provinces, Regions, and Departments of France and certain French cities. They are used to visually identify historical and present-day regions, as well as cities, within France.
Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.
Andilly is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.
Aigre is a commune in the Charente department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.
Arces, commonly identified under the name Arces-sur-Gironde, is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.
Aulnay, commonly referred to as Aulnay-de-Saintonge, is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
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Nouvelle-Aquitaine is the largest administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes in a territorial reform. Nouvelle-Aquitaine has an area of 84,035.7 km2 (32,446.4 sq mi) – more than 1⁄7 of Metropolitan France – and has a population of 6,033,952 as of 2020. The new region was established on 1 January 2016, following the regional elections in December 2015.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of La Rochelle.
The Lantern Tower 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
The Chain Tower (1384) along with the Lantern tower and the Saint Nicolas Tower, is one of the three medieval towers guarding the port in La Rochelle, France. It is called the Chain tower because an actual chain was stretched across the port entrance from this building. In 1879 the French government classified it as a Monument historique (MH).
Miss Poitou-Charentes is a French beauty pageant which selects a representative for the Miss France national competition from the region of Poitou-Charentes. Women representing the region under various different titles have competed at Miss France since 1957, although the Miss Poitou-Charentes title was not used regularly until 2006.
Media related to Tour Saint-Nicolas (La Rochelle) at Wikimedia Commons