Île Vierge lighthouse

Île Vierge is a small island of six hectares lying one and a half kilometres off the Brittany coast near the village of Lilia. The island belongs to the commune of Plouguerneau in Finistère. It holds the tallest stone lighthouse in Europe and the tallest traditional lighthouse in the world. The International Hydrographic Organization marks the island as the south-western limit of the English Channel. A Franciscan abbey once stood on the islet, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The first lighthouse was built between 1842 and 1845, a square tower thirty-three metres high. It began service on 15 August 1845, the feast of the Assumption. Its fixed white light reached fourteen nautical miles. A second, taller lighthouse of granite was constructed between 1896 and 1902. The new tower is eighty-two and a half metres tall, its interior lined with twelve thousand five hundred opaline glass tiles made by Saint-Gobain. Visitors walk up five stone steps to the entrance of the newer lighthouse. Inside, three hundred and sixty stone steps and thirty-two iron steps lead to the lamp platform. The electric lamp sits on a mercury bath and turns automatically when light levels change. The twin beam flashes white every five seconds and can be seen fifty kilometres away. Wind turbines and generators power the light, though staff still maintain the site. The island and lighthouse welcome visitors from April to September by appointment.