| Satin guards the harbour
on our day off in La Rochelle |
| La Rochelle
The Saint-Nicholas tower visible in the photo (Tour
Saint-Nicolas) stands on the south bank of the port,
opposite the Chain tower (Tour de la Chaîne). It was
built on a pentagonal plane with engaged circular towers
at three angles, a rectangular turret and a high square
tower used as a keep. The Saint-Nicholas tower is the
biggest one in La Rochelle and its role was to protect
the port from dangers coming from the ocean. It also
served as a mooring post for the heavy chain which
linked it in the evening to its tower mate, the Chain
tower. In 1372, the English sovereignty came to an end
and the city threw open its doors to Charles V. Then, La
Rochelle became a French royal port. In gratitude, the
King granted important privileges to the city:
hereditary ennoblement of aldermen and the mayor,
fortifications, which made the city independent. Those
privileges found expression in the architecture. The
Saint-Nicholas tower for instance is a symbol for the
nobility and sovereignty of the city. As a matter of
fact, the urban keep can be compared with a princely
keep. The very complex communication system inside the
tower can be compared with the royal architecture of the
tower of Vincennes. Therefore, the Saint-Nicholas tower
embodies the great power of La Rochelle, more than its
defense capacities alone do. It was marked by conflicts
of history, but was restored several times at the end of
the 17th and the 19th centuries. The restoration of the
inside started at the beginning of the 20th century. |
|
Masts in the water |
|
Louise
Bourgeois' rather menacing 'Maman' greets us as we arrive at the
Guggenheim |
