Sant Sebastià Lighthouse

Standing on the Cap de Sant Sebastià promontory at a height of 168 metres above sea level, the Sant Sebastià lighthouse is the most important lighthouse in Catalonia. Its luminous range is the longest of all the lighthouses in Spain and among the longest in the world. Although its theoretical luminous range is 32 miles, in practice it can be seen from more than 50 miles away due to its high elevation above sea level and considerable candlepower. The lighthouse is listed as a Major Lighthouse of the First Order, and since its construction in the mid-19th century, it has been the international lighthouse of reference at the SW extremity of the Gulf of Lion.

Inaugurated on 1 October 1857, it is located on a site of immense maritime importance, as it is a strategic point for vessels sailing to and from Marseilles, Genoa and Corsica.

The headland on which the lighthouse stands has been occupied since the Middle Ages. At one time, it was even home to a hermit who settled there in the 17th century and acted as a lookout and sentinel, keeping watch over the area and warning the neighbouring residents of possible incursions by pirates or suspicious ships.

The lighthouse is built on a steep, reddish and pinkish cliff, which runs southeastwards. The Sant Sebastià hermitage stands nearby, located just 500 metres to the north.

Its structure consists of a 12-metre-high white cylindrical tower that rises from the middle of a white building with a red roof. Its light serves as a nocturnal guide for ships that come ashore to seek refuge in the Port of Palamós when northerly winds blow in the Gulf of Lion. Despite its significance, the lighthouse was not electrified until 1940, when a 3,000-watt lamp was installed. Today, along with the Llobregat lighthouse, it is equipped with a DGPS system.

Video