In which country can you find this unusual medieval lighthouse?

Known officially as St. Catherine’s Oratory, the “Pepperpot” is located on the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. The 35-foot (10.67 meter) octagonal tower stands at one of the highest points of the island and is Britain’s second oldest lighthouse after Dover’s Roman beacon.

The Pepperpot is both a lighthouse and an oratory (a type of chapel). It was built as penitence for the theft of communion wine bound for a monastery; construction began in 1314.

In 1313, a boat bearing 174 casks of wine had shipwrecked off of Atherfield Ledge, a small rocky outcrop extending from the coast. The ledge was one of the area's main shipping hazards; numerous ships have been wrecked upon the outcrop due to the tides and currents in the area.

A local lord, Walter de Godeton, purchased the cargo from criminals who had robbed the wreckage. As a result, de Godeton was charged by a Southampton court for the theft. He was also chastised by the Church for the incident, as the shipment was communion wine bound for a local monastery.

To prevent ex-communication, the church ordered de Godeton to build the lighthouse and oratory. Construction was completed in 1328, although de Godeton did not live to see it finished, as he died in 1327.

The structure was strengthened during the 18th-century by four buttresses, as it was on the verge of collapsing.

Today, one way for visitors to reach the oratory is by walking through the surrounding fields, which may contain livestock.