After the Roman town of Burdigala (current Bordeaux) ceased to exist, the inhabitants moved away from the river, and the new city centre became what is now the Saint-Pierre district. The first church was built on the premises of the former port in the Middle Ages. The current church dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and was built on the site of ancient Gallo-Roman port. The Flamboyant style appearance survived from the renovation in the 19th century.
Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.
German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.
After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.