Photos of St Catherine's Oratory
About St Catherine's Oratory
St Catherine’s Oratory is Britain's only surviving medieval lighthouse, and the second oldest (only the Roman lighthouse at Dover being older). It was built by Lord of Chale Walter de Godeton as an act of penance for plundering wine from the wreck of St. Marie of Bayonne in Chale Bay in April 1313.It fell into disrepair in the 16th century following the dissolution of the monasteries and was abandoned. The octagonal tower survived because of its importance as a sea-mark. (St. Catherine's Down, Isle of Wight, England)
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