Saint Nicolas Tower

Last updated
Saint Nicolas Tower
Native name
La tour Saint-Nicolas (French)
Tour Saint Nicolas old harbor La Rochelle.jpg
Saint Nicolas Tower
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
Height138 feet (42 m)
Original useGateway to the Old Port of La Rochelle
Architectural style(s) Medieval
Governing bodyBuilding managed by the CMN (Center des Monuments Nationaux)
OwnerGovernment
Website la-rochelle.monuments-nationaux.fr

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]

Contents

History

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]

Night photo: Saint Nicolas Tower left, Chain Tower right La rochelle de nuit.jpg
Night photo: Saint Nicolas Tower left, Chain Tower right

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Rochelle</span> City in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poitou-Charentes</span> Region of France

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Sables-d'Olonne</span> Subprefecture and commune in Pays de la Loire, France

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saintes, Charente-Maritime</span> Subprefecture and commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aunis</span> Place in France

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis</span> Commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andilly, Charente-Maritime</span> Commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Andilly is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aigre</span> Commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Aigre is a commune in the Charente department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arces</span> Commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Arces, commonly identified under the name Arces-sur-Gironde, is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aulnay, Charente-Maritime</span> Commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Aulnay, commonly referred to as Aulnay-de-Saintonge, is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surgères</span> Commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Surgères is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marans, Charente-Maritime</span> Commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Marans is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angliers, Charente-Maritime</span> Commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nouvelle-Aquitaine</span> Administrative region of France

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 17 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lantern Tower (La Rochelle)</span>

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chain Tower</span>

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Poitou-Charentes</span>

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.

References

  1. Base Mérimée : Saint-Nicolas tower , Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. "The Saint Nicolas Tower (La tour Saint-Nicolas)". poitou-charentes-vendee.com. Poitou Charentes Vendee. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  3. "The Chain Tower". frenchmoments.eu. French Moments Ltd. Retrieved 27 January 2020.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Tour Saint-Nicolas (La Rochelle) at Wikimedia Commons