La Rochelle - Grosse Horloge

La Rochelle was an important harbour already within the 12th century. When in 1152 Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet (later "Henry II"), La Rochelle came under Plantagenet rule. After the first "Siege of La Rochelle" Louis VIII captured the town in 1224. From 1360 on it was English again for 12 years

In the 16th century La Rochelle adopted Calvinism. in 1560 La Rochelle and Rouen were the first French cities experiencing iconoclastic riots. Following the "Massacre of Vassy" (1562), one of the triggers of the "Wars of Religion", Protestants pillaged Catholic churches, destroyed images and killed 13 priests.

La Rochelle became a centre for the Huguenots. The city declared itself an independent "Reformed Republic", what of course led to conflicts with the central government. In 1571 the city suffered a naval blockade by the French Navy and was besieged 1572-1573. la Rochelle recovered and prospered for a while but in 1622 the next revolt started, when a fleet from La Rochelle fought a royal fleet and was defeated. Only three years later Huguenot troops invaded and occupied the Île de Ré and later the Île d'Oléron. For a while the troops controlled the Atlantic coast from Nantes to Bordeaux. In 1625 the Huguenots were finally defeated and both islands recaptured by Royal troops.

After these events Cardinal Richelieu , Louis XIII´s Chief Minister, declared the suppression of the Huguenot revolt the first priority of the kingdom. Royal troops blockaded La Rochelle in the "Siege of La Rochelle" for 14 months until the city surrendered. Over the next years many Protestant families were expelled. The persecution of the Huguenots culminated with the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, what let many families to emigrate from France.

In 2015 the "Community of Protestant Churches in Europe" bestowed La Rochelle the honoric title "European City of the Reformation".


The "Porte de la Grosse-Horloge" was once one of a gateways to the fortified city, originally constructed in the 12th century. It got altered many times, last time in 1746.