First temporary lamp 1830 (≈ 1830)
15 m wooden tower
1840
Built cylindrical headlight
Built cylindrical headlight 1840 (≈ 1840)
Height: 36.50 m, threatened by erosion
1868
Addition of a secondary lamp
Addition of a secondary lamp 1868 (≈ 1868)
Avoid confusion with other lighthouses
1889-1892
Construction of current lighthouse
Construction of current lighthouse 1889-1892 (≈ 1891)
43.3 m truncated tower
1934
Painting of black and white stripes
Painting of black and white stripes 1934 (≈ 1934)
Enhanced visual distinction
1947
Postwar reactivation
Postwar reactivation 1947 (≈ 1947)
Restoration after damage
1972
Electricity and aerogenator
Electricity and aerogenator 1972 (≈ 1972)
Technical modernization
1999
Headlight automation
Headlight automation 1999 (≈ 1999)
End of the permanent guardian
2004
Departure of the last guard
Departure of the last guard 2004 (≈ 2004)
Degradation of ancillary buildings
2012
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 2012 (≈ 2012)
Total site protection
2019
Conversion to solar energy
Conversion to solar energy 2019 (≈ 2019)
Lighthouse "solarized"
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The lighthouse in full, the facades and roofs of the guard housing and the floor of the platform bounded by the parcel RK 3: inscription by order of 21 June 2012
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character named in the sources
Guards are listed without names
Origin and history
The Faraman Lighthouse was built between 1889 and 1892 to replace a former lighthouse threatened by marine erosion. Located 1,200 meters away from the old, it peaks at 43.3 meters and adopts a truncated stone shape, with a summital corbellation. Its fire, initially powered by oil steam, is managed by two guards staying on site with their families. In 1934, his masonry was painted with white and black horizontal bands to distinguish him from other Mediterranean lighthouses.
During the Second World War, the lighthouse suffered damage requiring a complete restoration: reconstruction of the staircase in screws, consolidation of the tower and repair of the interior paneling. It was returned to service in 1947. Between 1967 and 2019, he experienced several modernizations: filming of the film Le Petit Baigneur (1967), installation of an aerogenator (1972), automation (1999), and conversion to solar energy (2019). The last guard left in 2004, marking the end of his permanent guard.
The lighthouse is surrounded by a unique ecosystem, in the heart of the Camargue Regional Natural Park, where salt marshes and ponds house protected species such as pink flamingos. Ranked a historic monument since 2012, it includes in its protection the whole of the tower, the facades of the guard houses and the floor of the adjacent platform. Its history reflects the challenges posed by coastal erosion and the adaptation of maritime signalling techniques.
Before its current construction, a first wooden lighthouse (1830) and then a cylindrical tower (1840) had been erected, but the advance of the sea from 675 m in 1835 to 190 m in 1864 made it impossible to maintain it. A semaphore abandoned in 1873 preceded the final project. Frequent confusion with neighbouring lighthouses (Espiguette, Grand Rouveau) caused the addition of a secondary fire in 1868, without success.
The Faraman lighthouse illustrates the technological evolution of the Mediterranean lighthouses, moving from oil to electricity (1972), then to automation and solar energy. Its role in coastal navigation and its integration into a preserved natural landscape make it an emblematic heritage of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d的Azur.
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