The Cordouan lighthouse is a late 16th-century maritime structure commissioned from the architect Louis de Foix by the Maréchal de Matignon. Nicknamed the "Versailles of the Sea", the "King of Lighthouses" or the "Lighthouse of Kings", it was the first lighthouse to be listed as a historic monument in 1862, and it is the oldest lighthouse in France still in operation.

Located at the entrance to the Gironde estuary, it replaced the Tour du Prince Noir (Black Prince Tower), built two centuries earlier, which had fallen into disrepair over time and ceased to fulfil its original function of guiding ships at night.

After countless accidents, Jacques II Goyon, Maréchal de Matignon and Governor of Guyenne, decided to commission the engineer and architect Louis de Foix to build the Cordouan lighthouse on the 2nd of March 1584.

It would be 27 years after the contract was signed before the lighthouse was finally completed and operational. Louis de Foix never saw his work completed, as he died in 1602, nine years before the work was finished, having devoted his entire fortune and eighteen years of his life to it.

An 18th-century legend claims that he was buried in a secret place in the lighthouse.

Described as a royal work of art, the Cordouan lighthouse is as practical as it is aesthetic. When it was commissioned in 1611, the lighthouse light pedestal was made of bronze, and the ornate dome of the lighthouse was adorned with eight stained glass windows.

The first floor, known as the "King's Apartment", was fitted out by Colbert in 1664 and includes a functional fireplace paved with black Belgian marble and grey marble from Sainte-Anne, decorated on the pilasters with monograms of the Sun King and his wife, Queen Marie-Thérèse of Austria.
The second floor houses the chapel, richly decorated and paved with marble like the King's flat, making the Cordouan lighthouse the only one in the world to have a consecrated chapel.

In 1719, the entire upper part of the lighthouse was demolished and rebuilt based on new plans drawn up by the Chevalier de Bitry, who was in charge of Bordeaux's fortifications at the time. 

Then, at the end of the 18th century, the engineer Joseph Teulère decided to raise the lighthouse by 30 metres, as its height had become insufficient to guide ships. The lighthouse, then in a very poor state of repair, lost its entire upper section, retaining only its ground floor and first two storeys from its original design. The rest of the tower was raised in the much more sober king Louis the 16th style. After these renovations, the lighthouse was fitted with the first revolving parabolic light, developed by Teulère, which gave the building its current appearance.

Finally, the lighthouse was electrified three years after the end of the Second World War, then automated in 2006.

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021, the Cordouan lighthouse today bears witness to almost five centuries of history, engraved throughout the lighthouse and admirably reflecting the eras through which it has passed, and all the people who have worked on its construction and renovations.