Saint Nicolas Tower | |
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Native name French: La tour Saint-Nicolas | |
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]
Charente-Maritime is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2016, it had a population of 642,191 with an area of 6,864 square kilometres.
La Rochelle is a city on the south 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 75,735 inhabitants in 2017, La Rochelle is the most populated commune in the department and ranks fifth in the New Aquitaine region after Bordeaux, the regional capital, Limoges, Poitiers and Pau. Its inhabitants are called "les Rochelaises" and "les Rochelais".
Poitou-Charentes is a former administrative region on the southwest coast of France. It is part of the new region Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprises four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. Historical provinces are Angoumois, Aunis, Saintonge and Poitou.
Les Sables-d'Olonne is a seaside town in Western France, on the Atlantic Ocean. 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.
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 of 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.
La Rochelle Cathedral is a Catholic church located in the city of La Rochelle, France. The cathedral has been a national monument since 1906.
Ars-en-Ré is a commune on the Île de Ré in the western French department of Charente-Maritime, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
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. Its residents are referred to as Arcillons or Arcillonnes.
Surgères is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.
Marans is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, administrative region of New Aquitaine, southwestern France.
Angliers is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.
Stéphane Barthe is a French former racing cyclist. He won the French national road race title in 1997.
Nouvelle-Aquitaine or New Aquitaine, is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014 through the merger of three regions: Aquitaine, Limousin and Poitou-Charentes. It covers 84,036 km2 (32,446 sq mi) – or 1⁄8 of the country – and has 5,956,978 inhabitants. 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).
Media related to Tour Saint-Nicolas at Wikimedia Commons