The
architect Lisch who directed the restoration of ours towers, happened
to that a large rib opened in a block of building which used to join Saint-Nicolas
Tower of the Chain together could give way to vessels.
Beside,
between these two towers stood an other small one wich was destroyed at
the beginning of the XIXth century to enlarge the entrance to the harbour.
The
chain which used to defend the way to the harbour was fixed with
a link at Saint-Nicolas Tower and ended at a large vault opened
in the small tower ; it used to be tightened with a winch. Before
the towers were built, minor building used to defend the harbour
The Tower of the Chain, built essentially
to defend the entrance to the harbour against the enemy, was under
the guardianship of a captain chosen every year by the Mayor among
three candidates elected in the peers by the aldermen.
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L'entrée
du port
La
tour de la Chaîne et La tour Saint-Nicolas
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Before
entering upon his duties, the harbour-master had to swear before the
Mayor he would live in the tower with his wife and children end never
sleep out at night. |
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As those harbour-masters used to take
money from the ships'saptains going in or out the harbour, series of rules
were established to prevent from these exactions and allows them to accept
what was given freely and willingly by the ships'captains.
It is wrong to say as it is in the book " La Rochelle and its Neighbourood
" that the captain of the Tower of the Chain was considered as the disarmer
of the ships. It is true that a precautionary measure, wich was established
in 1209 and lasted until the abolition of the Free Tower, settled that
all the ships had to be visited before entering the harbour and that the
arms and munitions found on board had to be taken to the aldermen and
kept there until the departure of the ships
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Originally,
this duty of disarming the ships was given after election to two or three
citizens, in 1397. The Tower of the guardian built in 1382, was 34 m high
from the foot to the parapet and 16 m in diameter ; its walls were 3 m
50 thick. In 1727, they built the fortified terrace, the first floor door
room the vaults of wich are arched and end on small pillars.
The second floor room, destroyed nowadays,
was set on cul-de-lampes with human faces scultured on.
The two other grounds were mere floors and their
beams were set on consoles we can still see between the two concentric
partitions of this robust building.
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Small
were cut afterwards for the guns and the stairs went up inside the
double wall. The Earl of Dorgnon, general governer of the Aunis
Country who had taken the side of the prince of Conde against the
King, locked himself up in the Tower and in order not to fall in
the hands of the royal troops, he set fire on the edifice which
fell down in the 19th of November 1651, and was badly damaged afterwards
during the 18th century.
The restoration began during the
last century only and the small tower had to be destroyed to enlarge
the entrance of the harbour which is nom 25 m 40 wide.
The
Tower of the Chain was scheduled as a place of historic interest
by the 17th of February 1879 Ordinance.
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