Phare de la Potence, Lighthouse in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France
The Phare de la Potence is a lighthouse on the Atlantic coast, southeast of the harbor of Les Sables-d'Olonne in the Vendée region. The square stone tower stands on top of a house and rises to about 95 feet (29 meters), with a light visible from roughly 16 nautical miles out at sea.
The lighthouse entered service in 1874 and was built to guide ships safely into the harbor of Les Sables-d'Olonne along a stretch of coast known for shallow sandbanks. It was fully automated in the 1960s, ending the long tradition of resident keepers who had watched over it day and night.
The name "Potence" refers to a bracket or gallows-shaped support, a term once used for lamp holders on port buildings, which explains this lighthouse's unusual name. Visitors who look at it from the beach can see how the square stone tower rises directly above the building that now houses the regional lighthouse service offices.
The lighthouse is visible from the coast and nearby beaches but is not open to the public, as the building serves as an office for the local maritime authority. Walking along the seafront of Les Sables-d'Olonne gives the clearest view of the structure from a short distance.
The lighthouse works in alignment with another light on the seafront promenade, called the Feu du Remblai, so that ships can use both lights together to steer clear of nearby sandbanks called the Nouch and the Noura. This pairing of two lights to define a safe channel is a navigation method still in active use today.
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