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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The first lighthouse on the island of Sein, a 43-metre cylindrical tower in masonry, was lit in 1839. In 1876, its upper part was painted in black, and in 1896 a gas factory was added. In 1911 he became one of the first French radio beacons, equipped with a damped-wave transmitter (radio code S ••••) to guide the ships to Brest. Electrified in 1935, it was destroyed on 4 August 1944 by retired German troops, after they had stored ammunition in its cellar, causing an explosion of exceptional violence. The debris was projected to hundreds of metres, and granite blocks still testify to this today.

After the war, a temporary metal tower was erected in 1945, replaced in 1946 by an electric fire. The reconstruction of the current lighthouse, a truncated concrete tower on a square base, began in 1950 using an innovative casting process developed by engineer Ernest Scuiller. It was lit in February 1952 and also includes an electric power plant supplying the island and an autoclave to desalinize seawater. The site was listed in 1980, and the lighthouse was listed for historical monuments in 2015. It symbolizes both the island's resilience and its key role for navigation in the Iroese Sea.

The current lighthouse illustrates a unique combination of functions: sea-marking, electricity generation for the 200 inhabitants of the island (the Senans), and provision of drinking water via desalination. Its architecture, mixing concrete and stone masonry, reflects post-war reconstruction techniques. The visit of the site makes it possible to observe the remains of the first lighthouse, in particular the granite blocks scattered by the 1944 explosion, as well as the auxiliary buildings housing the guard houses. The island of Sein, decorated with the Cross of Liberation in 1946, maintains a strong link with this monument, as evidenced by the stone of the destroyed lighthouse offered to General de Gaulle during his visit.

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