LA JUMENT LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER SERIES
LA JUMENT LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER WINDOWS

LA JUMENT LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER WINDOWS

All the same, the storm of 21 st December 1989 reportedly smashed windows and flooded part of the ground floor of La Jument.

Lighthouses are built to withstand incredible forces, and this one is no exception. This wasnвЂ™t the first storm that had battered La Jument. Christianity is not a call to escapism or denial. Lorna and I know from our own recent experiences that the abiding life does not prevent storms from arising. You can almost feel the desperation in these words. вЂњO God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmedвЂ¦for you are my safe refugeвЂ¦вЂќ вЂ“ Psalm 61. вЂњPull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in you alone. Save me from my persecutors вЂ“ rescue me!вЂќ вЂ“ Psalm 7. вЂњI come to you for protection, O Lord my God. And like the one photographed by Guichard, those storms can be violent. Protection is a necessity because storms are inevitable. These references and many more point to the first of two lessons which are relevant to the abiding life. вЂњHe alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.вЂќ вЂ“ Psalm 62.

вЂњYou are God, my only safe haven.вЂќ вЂ“ Psalm 43. вЂњThe Lord is my rock, my fortressвЂ¦my shield.вЂќ вЂ“ Psalm 18. вЂњHide me in the shadow of your wings.вЂќ вЂ“ Psalm 17. вЂњO God, I have come to you for refuge.вЂќ вЂ“ Psalm 16. IвЂ™ve noticed that the subject of protection comes up A LOT in the Psalms. GuichardвЂ™s photographs offer a perfect analogy for the abiding life, and the promises of protection that can be found throughout the Psalms. Why on earth did the man in the picture leave the protection of the lighthouse? Why does he look so relaxed вЂ“ as if posing for that photo in that moment was the most natural thing in the world? IвЂ™ve often wondered about the story behind the most famous of GuichardвЂ™s pictures from that day (above).

LA JUMENT LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER SERIES

Photographer Jean Guichard chartered a helicopter for the sole purpose of photographing the lighthouse in the storm, and in the process, captured a series of iconic images. La Jument was built to provide a safer crossing for ships and it was constructed between 19.On 21 December 1989, La Jument lighthouse on the most north-westerly tip of France was bombarded by 30 metre-high waves. In June 1896, the steam ship Drummond Castle was wrecked killing nearly 250 people. La Jument lighthouse is situated in an area of coastline always considered treacherous by sailors and there have been many shipwrecks over the years. It was thought for some time that he was killed by the wave moments after the photographs were taken, however in Coast Neil Oliver and Jean Guichard travel to meet Malgorne and give him a signed copy of the photograph. The lighthouse keeper, ThГ©odore Malgorne, stands at the door looking out at the helicopter, unaware of the scale of the wave crashing into the building.

In 1989 he took a series of seven photographs of a lighthouse called La Jument off the coast of Brittany and these photographs became world famous. An episode of Coast just alerted me to the existence of these amazing photographs by Jean Guichard, a French photographer who specialises in lighthouses.

La jument lighthouse keeper