Basilique Saint-Nicolas is a basilica in the town of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port. It is a pilgrimage site, supposedly holding relics of Saint Nicholas brought from Italy. Nicolas became the patron saint of the Duchy of Lorraine. The current basilica was built in the 15th and 16th centuries and has fine Renaissance painted glass windows by Nicolas Droguet of Lyon, Valentin Bousch of Strasbourg, Hans von Kulmbach and Veit Hirsvogel from Nuremberg, Georges Millereau and other unknown artists, as well as 19th century replacements for lost glass works. It is a French Monument historique since 1840, and a minor basilica since 1950.
References: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.