HISTORIQUE DE LA
TOUR DE LA CHAINE

Version Française
Version Française

      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.
L'entrée du port
La tour de la Chaîne et La tour Saint-Nicolas
      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.

     
      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

     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.

      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.