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| Rightly called King of the Lighthouses, this lighthouse is built in the open sea on a rocky islet 7km from the coast, at the mouth of the Gironde estuary. It takes its name from the merchant sailors of Cordoue, who built a first lighthouse in this same site in the 11th century, but which fell into ruin. The current building was erected from 1584 to 1611, then modified in 1780 before being listed in 1862 as a Historical Monument. |
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 The Lighthouse
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68 metres high and built in masonry and trimmed stone, it rests on a circular base 41m in diameter and 8m thick, protecting the building from the fury of the ocean. A seawall adjoining the structure, 260m long, made it possible to unload supplies at low tide. The lighthouse has a royal chamber– even if no king ever stayed here – a chapel, and a total of 6 Renaissance-style floors. All this makes it, without doubt, unique in its genre. |
The View |
| Access to the lantern is only by climbing the 311 steps of the building, but an admirable panorama is the reward at the top: the Gironde estuary, the Pointe de Grave headland, the Gironde and Charente coasts, the forest of La Coubre, the open sea… in brief, unforgettable.
Owned by the département of La Gironde, the Cordouan lighthouse can be visited by boarding the vedettes leaving from Royan and the Pointe de Grave in April through to September, sea conditions permitting. |
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