France's iconic 'King Of Lighthouses' built in 16th century bags UNESCO Heritage Listing

France's 'Cordouan beacon', popularly known as King Of Lighthouses that has survived in the face of winds and swell for as long as 400 years, has bagged UNESCO Heritage Listing on Saturday, July 24. Built at the very end of the 16th century, it stands in the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Gironde estuary in southwestern France. The lighthouse is the last to be inhabited in France and the second one after Spain's La Coruna to have been bestowed with this honour by UNESCO. 

King Of Lighthouses on UNESCO's heritage list 

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Saturday, announcing the iconic Cordouan beacon's win said that it had stood through a highly hostile and exposed environment, according to the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee. The lighthouse was designed by engineer Louis de Foix and was later remodelled by engineer Joseph Teulere in the late 18th century.

The world heritage committee further hailed the lighthouse as a "masterpiece of maritime signalling." It further added that Cordouan's monumental tower is decorated with pilasters, columns modillions, and gargoyles. Further delving on the importance of the heritage site, they mentioned that it embodies a great deal of 'architectural and technological history' of lighthouses and was built on further continuing the tradition of 'famous beacons of antiquity'. The tower has illustrated the art of building lighthouses in the period of renewed navigation when beacons played a pertinent role as 'territorial markers and as instruments of safety', the committee added. 

The committee also made a notable mention of its increase in height and changes in the light chamber during the late 18th century. Further reiterating its role in the advancement of technology, they added it attests to the progress of science and technology during that period and how its structure has taken inspiration from 'ancient models, Renaissance Mannerism, and the specific architectural language of France's engineering school Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees.'. 

More about France's Cordouan Lighthouse

The iconic tower is the tenth-tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world located seven kilometres (4.3 miles) at sea, near the mouth of the Gironde estuary in France. It was started in the year 1584 and finished in 1611 as it still stands today. Three storeys were further added to the monument in the 18th century. It was officially declared as a historic monument in the year 1862. Its structure is similar to that of a renaissance masterpiece, an amalgamation of the royal palace, cathedral, and fort. 

(IMAGE- UNESCO/INSTAGRAM)