The old town preserves all the history of its military and religious past. The lower town was partly built on land reclaimed

Land reclamation

Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...

 from the sea. The upper part of the old town is surrounded by ramparts from the fifteenth century. These are entered through the drawbridge

Drawbridge

A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...

 (Grand'Porte), the bloody theatre of the "Siège des Vendéens" in 1793.

Inside the walls of the upper town are some beautiful houses of which several are concentrated on Rue Saint-Jean.

The ancient church of Notre-Dame du Cap Lihou (1441-1796) which dominates the heights, constitutes an imposing granite building of the Romanesque / early Gothic style.