Heritage
The Church
The first stone of the church of Saint Nicolas in l'Aiguillon sur Mer was laid on 30th May 1839. The style of the church is mainly basilican with its triangular pediment on the outside and its rectangular main nave on the inside. An important unique feature of the church is the lighting of the nave which comes from the arcades built above the side roofs.
In 2000, important consolidation work, renovation of walls, stained glass windows and tiling, were carried out and financed in part by the town.
Inside the church, visitors can enjoy an ex-voto which is part of the town's heritage. Here you can see the model of a boat which is a remarkable piece about 2 metres long, its keel protected by a metallic frame. This large three- masted sailing boat known as "La Victoire" boasts rigging, canons, figurehead...
Holiday makers are drawn to this boat in its display cabinet but the legend told by local people fascinates them even more.
The Port
The Port of l'Aiguillon is a grounding port. Mooring is done from wooden jetties and the mud naturally makes depressions to allow boats to access the jetties. Boating activity is managed by the town.
The present port area stretches for 700 metres along the estuary of the River Lay.
Many buildings, directly linked to port activities, can be found around the port of l'Aiguillon, including a shipbuilding works, oyster and mussel retailers, the Centre Nautique Aiguillonnais-Fautais (the nautical centre of l'Aiguillon and La Faute), garages primarily for maritime use, a fishmonger and the AFMAR (the shipping office).
Various types of fishing are carried out from the port : net, trawl, elver, dragnet (Coquilles Saint Jacques and other scallops, clams) and mussel fishing.
The "Digue du Génie"
Coastal erosion on the West of the headland led the government to give permission to build the Génie Seawall in 1863.
Approximately 5 km long, its main purpose is to protect cereal and vegetable growing areas stretching for 20 km between the River Lay and the Luçon Canal, on average 2 metre below high water.
The base of the seawall is positioned in relation to low tide levels.
In 1974, following particularly strong storms, 5 breaches were made in the main part of the wall which had been seriously damaged in previous winters. Measures were taken to repair and protect the seawall and the dunes, adapting La Pointe in order to fight erosion and damage caused by winds, human activities and the sea.
But in February 2010, the seawall did not resist the attack of the sea during the Xynthia storm. The lowest land behind the seawall was flooded.
The Génie Seawall, engineering showpiece of the Second Empire, is undergoing reconstruction since this date.
"L'Aiguillon-Ville" Railway Station
Shortly before 1900 the Conseil Général de la Vendée studied the possibility of creating a rail network throughout the département, and in 1901 the Luçon / Aiguillon line was created.
Increasing goods traffic, the transport of shellfish and general fishing trade justified this decision.
The town benefitted from having two stations : "L'Aiguillon - Ville" and "L'Aiguillon - Port". The town station was used by farmers who went to sell their produce at the market in Luçon, whilst the port station was used by more affluent families who wanted to enjoy the sea.
It took no less than an hour and a half to travel from l'Aiguillon to Luçon, depending on the freight and the mood of the mechanic and the train master. There were usually three carriages of passengers, sometimes five and up to six in summer.
The railway line disappeared on 31st December 1949. Today "L'Aiguillon - Ville" Station is inhabited whilst the shipping office is situated in l'Aiguillon Port Station.
