Phare de Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, Lighthouse in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, France.
The Phare de Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is a 24 meter (79 ft) tall stone lighthouse on the Atlantic coast with a distinctive red lantern room and weathered stone crown. It stands on a rocky outcrop at the harbor entrance and shapes the visual character of this stretch of coastline.
The lighthouse was built in 1880 and replaced an earlier structure called the Tour Josephine at this location. Over the decades it underwent several changes, including a shift in exterior color from black to white.
The lighthouse stands as a testament to French maritime navigation, working in conjunction with the Phare de l'Adon to guide vessels safely.
The lighthouse operates fully automated today and transmits its light continuously to guide ships in the area. Visitors can view and photograph the structure from an exterior walking path along the water.
In its earliest form the lighthouse had no lantern room and emitted its light through a simple window beneath what is now the observation area with balcony. This detail shows how lighting technology at this location evolved over more than a century.
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