Saint-Guénolé, Batz-sur-Mer, Gothic parish church in Batz-sur-Mer, France.
Saint-Guénolé is a Gothic parish church in Batz-sur-Mer topped with a 60-meter stone tower decorated with pinnacles. This tower rises above the surrounding salt marshes of Loire-Atlantique and commands the coastal landscape.
The structure was built during the 15th and 16th centuries on the site of an earlier sanctuary dedicated to Saint Cyr and Saint Julitta. The current tower was completed in 1677, replacing two wooden predecessors destroyed by lightning strikes.
The interior features Gothic arches resting on solid pillars and a wooden ceiling shaped like a ship's hull. These architectural choices reflect the seafaring heritage of this coastal community.
The tower is open daily from April to November with internal stairs leading to the top. Visitors should be in decent physical condition and wear sturdy shoes to manage the narrow spiral steps and steep ascent.
The tower was erected after two successive lightning strikes in 1603 and 1657 destroyed the original wooden structures. These repeated disasters eventually prompted the decision to build a permanent stone structure.
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