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onjour!
As promised back when we published the first newsletter about La Rochelle
(
http://www.francemonthly.com/n/0406/index.php), we are once again
visiting this Atlantic coast city that fascinates history enthusiasts and
sea-lovers alike. Let’s stroll downtown together, from the splendid old port
to the town hall, by way of old streets full of history.
But before continuing, please remember that you can access and read all the newsletters already
published at http://www.francemonthly.com/
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The Old Port
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One must take in the city by what made its fortune in the past: its charming old port.
Still today, the entrance to the port seems to be protected by two big immutable towers.
The St Nicholas Tower looks like a solid square fortress with its donjon and its four
turrets, while the Chain Tower is smaller and very circular.
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La Rochelle, View from the Harbor
(Click photo to enlarge)
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In the St Nicolas Tower, a maze of hallways leads to several superimposed rooms connected
by a double-rising spiral staircase. This would enable two people to climb or go down it
without ever meeting each other. The Chain Tower was guarded by a captain appointed by the
city mayor. This post required that the captain live in the tower with his family and servants,
and be on watch every night, to make sure that the chain which connected the two towers to
close the entrance to the port remained pulled tight by a winch. A few unscrupulous officers
residing in the tower took advantage of their privileged position to blackmail the ships that
wanted to enter the port. This made the municipal magistrates enforce stricter regulations in
the hope of putting an end to these dishonest practices.
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The Lantern Tower
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A bit further, another tower draws your attention. This one actually looks more like a church steeple.
Crenellated and topped by an arrow, this 15th century structure owes its name to a mayor’s decision to
have a big church candle placed at the top, in a stone lantern, to guide the ships. It served double-duty,
operating not only as a lighthouse but also as a fortress prison. It took the name "The Tower of Priests"
in memory of the 13 priests locked up inside it by Protestants, who then slit their throats and pushed
them off into the sea, in 1568. Over the centuries, several unlucky tenants followed one another, taking
up residence in the infamous tower. There were many Huguenots (the nickname French Catholics gave
Calvinists) who had attempted to escape France which was back then a very intolerant country, English
sailors captured by corsairs, and people of the Vendée or Chouans, who were royalist insurgents from
western France during the Revolution. It later took the name "The Tower of the Four Sergeants" after
four noncommissioned officers, two of whom where imprisoned there in 1822, were accused of conspiring
against the State.
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Recipe for August 2006
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Plum Tart with Confectioner’s Custard
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The Trial of the "Four Sergeants of La Rochelle"
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In the early 19th century, a republican secret society of Neapolitan origin called “La Charbonnerie" (from the Italian “Carbonaria”, or “Charcoal Burner”) met with a favorable response from the army. It was particularly popular among the noncommissioned officers who were frustrated by the fact, among others, that only noblemen could become officers.
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The Lantern Tower in La Rochelle
(Click photo to enlarge)
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Its members met in coalmen’s huts set up deep in forests, thereby acquiring the name of “carbonari”.
Four young sergeants, Bories, Goubin, Pommier and Raoulx joined the party. It was in La Rochelle,
where their regiment had been sent, that they participated in meetings convened to hatch a plot
against King Louis XVIII. Whether they were really involved was never clear at all. Nevertheless,
when a certain Goupillon, member of the brotherhood, got scared and denounced the group, the
organization was dismantled. All the members, including the four young sergeants, were arrested.
At first imprisoned in the Lantern Tower, they were then transferred to Paris where they stood trial,
were found guilty and guillotined to set an example on September 12, 1822, on the Place de Grève.
Because they had refused to betray their ideals or give up the name of their leader, these young men,
seen as victims of an authoritarian power, became heroes. The Lantern Tower was immediately renamed
"The Tower of the Four Sergeants" in memory of their courage.
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The Big Clock
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You will find nearby another building that draws attention, “The Big Clock Tower”,
noted for its height. The first stone was laid in the 12th century, at a time when
the city was completely surrounded by a protective great wall.
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The Big Clock in La Rochelle
(Click photo to enlarge)
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This fortified entrance that connected the city to the port was then a simple rectangular tower
flanked by two turrets and two passageways: one for the horse-drawn carriages and carts
transporting merchandise, and another narrower one for pedestrians. At the end of the 13th
century, it was adorned with the latest technology, a clock, and was fitted with a bell tower.
The unique arcade that leads you into the city today dates back to 1672. While the turrets and
campanile disappeared a few dozen years later, they were replaced with a magnificent dome
surrounded by pilasters decorated with angels supporting globes and flags. This structure,
with an unusual variety of architectural styles, acts as the gateway to the old city and to
a journey through its historical past. Once inside, you can admire more or less fancy half-timbered
houses, decorated with delicate sculptures or frightening gargoyles, and streets paved with Canadian
stones that were once used as ballast for ships returning from “New France” (the French possessions
in North America), with their holds filled with furs.
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The Town Hall
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Continuing your stroll, you will come across another imposing and symbolic monument, the town hall.
It has also undergone transformations over the centuries, but remains nonetheless the symbol of this
city’s prosperity and its great spirit of independence.
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The Town Hall
(Click photo to enlarge)
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It can only arouse admiration with its fortress-like appearance and its Flamboyant Gothic
surrounding wall firmly anchored in the heart of the city for over 600 years. When y ou get
closer to investigate this ensemble, you’ll notice it stands more as a testament to the
various project managers’ strong desire to show off their wealth rather than to protect
themselves from any enemies. The interior is magnificent. It displays several Corinthian
columns, niches recessed into walls that house statues of women representing the cardinal
virtues of Prudence, Justice, Strength and Temperance, a decorated ceiling bearing the
monogram of Henri IV, the king who loved La Rochelle, and a splendid "Municipal Magistrates Hall"
adorned with the coat of arms of the mayor. In this room, you will find a sculpted wooden table
said to have belonged to Jean Guiton, the elected mayor when the city was besieged in 1628.
Legend has it he stuck his dagger into it, swearing that he wouldn’t hesitate to pierce the heart
of any traitor ready to capitulate to the enemy.
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The Street of Stone |
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As early as the Middle Ages, the city of La Rochelle was very prosperous thanks to the
many privileges that it enjoyed and its geographic location. As with any wealthy city,
trade grew quickly. The people of La Rochelle could conveniently go shopping in an area
of the old city where they didn’t need to worry about the weather, rain or shine. Indeed,
the shopkeepers protected their merchandise with canopies held up by wooden pillars. Little
by little, stone arcades in the shape of diagonal vaults of intersecting ribs replaced these
makeshift awnings. The town council then decided to regulate the construction of these "verandas".
If a resident decided to build a porch, he had to line it up with his neighbor’s so that a
gallery was created. The street once known as the “rue des Merciers” (Notion Sellers) became
the “rue de Pierre”, or Street of Stone. Merchants also came to this neighborhood to trade
under the porch of the Flemish County. Today, the shops are still located at this very same
spot. They are surrounded by the same half-timbered residences that stood there in the
16th and 17th centuries, still presenting their narrow facades livened up with sculptures
and gargoyles, standing witnesses to their unusual past.
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The Isle of Ré
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La Rochelle is also the starting point for another adventure... but no need to set sail, it is right
next door! By crossing a 9,603 ft long bridge at the western end of the city, you will land on the
Isle of Ré, which offers you a total change of scenery. In good weather, you will be struck by the
intense surrounding brightness.
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The Isle of Ré
(Click photo to enlarge)
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Dazzling light dances off these whitewashed houses that stand so low you’d think they were dollhouses.
In grayer weather, a nice long invigorating walk along the beach is just what you need. Why not
continue your jaunt towards the charming little fortified ports of the island that all participated
in the rich and turbulent history of the area? You can visit: St Martin and its ramparts, a masterpiece
designed by Vauban, the great military engineer under Louis XIV; La Flotte and its small medieval market
at the tip of the island; then, the “Phare de la Baleine” (Whale Lighthouse), ordered built by Louis XIV’s
minister of finance, Colbert, to protect the boats that would run aground there, never to reach the port
of La Rochelle. Perhaps you’ll run into "the donkey who wears pants"…It became the emblem of “the island
of white gold” at a time when salt marshes constituted one of the leading economic resources. Farmers had
come up with the idea of dressing their donkeys in pants to protect them both from mosquitoes and from the
salt that ate away at their skin and drove them mad.
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An Invitation to Travel... |
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La Rochelle is absolutely an Atlantic coast city not to be missed! It is also the part of France
that provides Cognac, and Pineau des Charentes to the world. In addition to producing these world
famous and noble products, this region considers oyster farming to be sacred. Finally, the Museum
of the New World, located in an 18th century townhouse, accommodates historical collections that
speak of the relations France has maintained with America since the 16th century. Indeed, La Rochelle
was once one of the leading commercial ports in all of Europe, as well as a main port of emigration
to the New World.
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