Faro de Illa Pancha, Lighthouse on Pancha Island, Ribadeo, Spain

The old Faro de Illa Pancha stands on Isla Pancha at the western end of the Ría de Ribadeo. Its square tower, 6.7 m high and 3.5 m per side, is set into the centre of a square building of 128 m² to shield it from storms. The tower ends in a wrought-iron balcony and an octagonal turret supporting a hexagonal lantern with flat glass panes. An iron bridge on three piers, added in 1858, links the island to the mainland.

Construction began in 1857 to a design by engineer Marcelo Sánchez Movellán, and the lighthouse was inaugurated on 30 December 1859 as a third-order light marking the entrance to Ribadeo harbour, with a range of 9 nautical miles. It remained in service until 1 October 1983, when a second lighthouse on the island took over.

The old tower keeps its Fresnel lens mounted even though it stopped operating on 1 October 1983, when the newer lighthouse on the same island took over. Since April 2017 the old lighthouse has housed two tourist apartments, a conversion that met opposition from local residents.

The old lighthouse shares Isla Pancha with the newer tower that has been the only one in service since 1983. A bridge links the island to the mainland; it was added in 1858 and reinforced in 2004. The old tower now operates as tourist apartments, so access to its interior depends on that use.

The old tower still holds its Fresnel lens, though it has been out of service since 1 October 1983, when the new lighthouse on the same island took over. The replacement reaches 21 nautical miles and is the only one operating there.