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Founded: 11th centuryCategory: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)
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Glandèves Cathedral, now the Chapelle de l'Hôpital, is a Roman Catholic church located in the former town of Glandèves, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. It was abandoned in the Middle Ages for the more secure site of the present Entrevaux. Only the chevet remains, which has been converted into a chapel.
The ancient town of Glandèves occupied an exposed site that was frequently attacked and pillaged. In the 11th century the inhabitants moved to a more secure and defensible settlement at Entrevaux, although the Bishop of Glandèves remained seated at the cathedral on the old site.
Between 1609 and 1624 a new cathedral was built in Entrevaux, which became the seat of the diocese at its completion.
The old cathedral and the adjoining episcopal palace buildings were sold during the Revolution and subsequently used as a boarding house and a hospital, whence the alternative name for the present chapel as the Chapelle de l'Hôpital. The remaining structure dates from the 12th century, with some work from the later 16th century. The conversion to the chapel is modern.
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.