A Long Climb to the Top

I've climbed many, many lighthouses over the years since 1973 when I first developed an interest in them. The tallest lighthouse I've climbed is the magnificent Ile Vierge Lighthouse on the island by the same name almost a mile off the Brittany Coast of France. 

The almost-15 acre island has two lighthouses. The original 108-foot-tall Ile Vierge Lighthouse was built in 1842-1845. It;s the square white tower shown above. Its replacement, the 271-foot-tall Ile Vierge Lighthouse, was completed in 1902. This younger lighthouse is the tallest stone lighthouse in Europe and the tallest traditional lighthouse in the world.

My husband and I toured the two lighthouses in July with the U.S. Lighthouse Society. Twenty-seven society members were with us. It was an amazing trip! We are shown below boarding the boat to the island.

The crew of our boat all had the lighthouse on their shirts!

The rocks around Ile Vierge are evidence of the need for good navigational aids. It was foggy on the way out to the island. A sailboat appeared ghostly as it passed in front of us--

Magically, when we arrived, the fog was lifting.

This is a selfie I took while climbing the taller, 1902 tower. (Jon did not climb with me, as he is not fond of open stairways like this one.) Notice the beautiful opaline tiles lining the granite walls of the interior. They were made by the glassworks at Saint-Gobian, the company that made prisms for Fresnel lenses. It was a long way up, almost 400 steps. I had to stop several times to catch my breath.

Ile Vierge means "Island of the Virgin" and refers to the 1450 Franciscan monastery built there. It was abandoned in 1507. In 1844 the nation of France purchased the island from its owner for 6,000 francs and set it aside for lighthouse purposes. Four different Frresnel lenses served at these two lighthouses. The taller tower was automated in 2010, ending over 120 years of lightkeepers on duty on the island. One of the last keepers was Theodore Malgorne, who was made famous by photographer Jean Guichard's image of a great wave hitting La Jument Lighthouse in a storm. Malgorne was the keeper in the doorway.

Ile Vierge can be visited from April through September. The taller tower is open for climbing on special arranged dates in the summer. In winter...well, you probably would not want to visit!