Name and Location

Phare de Chassiron is a principal lighthouse marking the northern tip of the Île d’Oléron on the Atlantic coast of France. Its address is Phare de Chassiron, 510–578 Rue du Phare, 17650 Saint-Denis-d’Oléron, Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. The coordinates are 46°02′48″ N, 1°24′37″ W (decimal: 46.0466883, -1.4102766), and the map link is https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=46.0466883&mlon=-1.4102766#map=17/46.04669/-1.41028.

Construction and History

Phare de Chassiron was constructed in the mid-19th century, completed in 1840. It is an important maritime landmark listed in the French national historic monuments inventory (Base Mérimée) for its architectural quality and importance to 19th-century maritime safety.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse features a tapering cylindrical tower with a gallery and lantern, built from dressed limestone masonry painted with alternating broad black and white horizontal bands. The tower height is approximately 151 feet above the base, with a focal plane of 50 meters above mean sea level.

Light and Navigation

Phare de Chassiron is a Major sea light with a characteristic Fl W 10 s (one white flash every 10 seconds). Its range is 28 nautical miles. The lighthouse is automated, with no resident lighthouse keepers, and does not have AIS/Radar publicly documented.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse is open to the public from October to March, 10:00–12:30 and 14:00–17:00; April to June and September, 10:00–19:00; July to August, 10:00–20:00. It is closed on December 25 and January 1. Visitors can access the lighthouse by car or bicycle via Rue du Phare, pedestrian paths from Saint-Denis-d’Oléron town center, and dedicated parking nearby.

Notable Views and Landscape

From the lantern gallery platform, visitors enjoy a 360° view over Pointe de Chassiron cliffs and Atlantic surf, salt marshes and oyster-bed ponds to the west, the village of Saint-Denis-d’Oléron to the south, and on clear days, Phare de la Coubre, Cordouan Island, and the Gironde estuary mouth.

Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse has a small maritime-history museum, gift shop, café terrace, and toilets. Admission requires a fee (check official website). Public transport is available through seasonal shuttle buses from Oléron ferry terminal (information via local tourist office).

Museum & Exhibits

• Inside the former service rooms, a small interpretive museum presents scale models of the 1683 and 1840 constructions, historic lanterns and Fresnel lenses, photographs of shipwrecks and local lighthouse-keeper families, and interactive tidal-and-navigation simulators.

Nearby Attractions

• The village of Saint-Denis-d’Oléron offers traditional markets, a fishermens’ port. Nearby beaches include La Boirie and Grand-Viel. Fort Louvois, a 17th-century sea fort, is located across the Pertuis d’Antioche. Bird-watching hides are available in the Marais aux Oiseaux nature reserve.

Managing Authority & Further Reading

The managing authority is the Service des Phares et Balises (Ministère de la Transition écologique). The official website is https://chassiron.jimdo.com/. For further reading, see Bulletin des Phares et Balises, “Le Phare de Chassiron,” no. 127, 2017, and L. Durand, “Les phares de l’île d’Oléron,” Éditions du Patrimoine, 2003.