Église Saint-Pierre de Vesly is a large and beautiful 13th century Gothic church located in the town of Vesly. It was built on the site of a Merovingian necropolis. The reconstruction of the church after World War II led to the discovery of many sarcophagi underneath the foundations which show that Vesly was an important town with many influential people during the Merovingian and Carolingian times. Another cemetery of several sarcophagi is the necropolis that existed around the chapel of the Virgin located 300 meters north of the church. The church is cruciform with two side aisles but no ambulatory. The transept however is very prominent and is marked with a triumphal arch above which is mounted an 18th century crucifix. To the right of the arch is the wooden pulpit which dates from the 1720s. The nave and transept are 13th century as is the lower part of the bell tower.  Be sure to check out the decorative heads along the nave.  It is thought that these were once part of some vaulting that is now missing.  Outside, along the bell tower are some interesting corbels too that display some grotesque faces. In 1472 the western porch was added and above the door is the following inscription: "The year of our Lord one thousand four hundred seventy-two this portal was made by and donated by nobleman Pierre Le Poupet. In his lifetime Lord of Besneville. God grant him paradise. Amen.” The west facade is illuminated by two, arched lancet windows topped by an oculus. These lancets are the oldest element of the church and date from the early 13th century. The oculus however is from the 15th. On the left of the main portal is the baptismal font made from limestone from Valognes as well as a Gothic style lectern. To the right of the main portal is the 16th century statue of Sainte-Walburge. This saint was widely venerated in the region and was invoked especially by mothers of sick children as well as sailors or those suffering from hydrophobia. The arcades of five bays of the nave are supported by squat cylindrical columns that rest on square bases. Some of them have Latin inscriptions from the 1600s. In the choir are six Renaissance style corbels which represent the four evangelists as well as the prophet Isaiah and King David. On either side of the main altar are two 18th century statues in polychrome wood of Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Sébastien. The stained glass was placed in the church during restorations after World War II and were designed by master glassmaker Hubert de Sainte-Marie. There is a small tower along the southern wall which makes up part of the transept. I can’t find any information about it but I’m pretty sure it is very old too. It even has some writing (which I can't make out) above one of the small lancet windows.

Once again, we’ve been having really nice weather in la Manche. When it’s like this, you can’t help but go outside and do something—head to the beach, ride your bike or take a nice long walk. Fortunately for me, I’ve been able to do all these things in abundance. Yesterday, I did the “Promenade et Randonnée Autour de Rochemont” which takes you through some very pretty woodlands around the village of Ruffosses, a community belonging to the small town of Saussemesnil (sometimes spelled, Sauxemesnil). The hike begins from a parking lot near the Boulangerie Pâtisserie Leterrier and takes you first past the Église Notre-Dame-des-Anges. There is a sign posted at the entrance that says, “By order of the mayor, the doors of this church must remain open every day.” They were closed and I was unable to go inside. An elderly man with a thick Norman accent, attending to some graves, said that it was probably too early and that it should be open later. It wasn’t. I came back after the hike and it was still locked. Oh well. As with more than a thousand churches in Normandy, the church in Ruffosses is devoted to the Virgin Mary. Before the mid-nineteenth century, the oldest religious building of Ruffosses was the Chapel of Our Lady of Deliverance which was erected by sailors in the 17th century. It was used as a place of pilgrimage for sailors until 1851, abandoned and condemned by 1853 and eventually sold. In 1854, Mme Féline de Montdésir, née Sivard de Beaulieu donated money to have a new church completed on the site. It was surrounded by a cemetery and meditation garden of exotic plants, rhododendrons and bamboo which still exist to this day. The church was bombed in 1944 and the vault collapsed in 1947 but was restored in the neo-Gothic style during the 1950s. Before you leave, don’t forget to see this small chapel on the grounds devoted to Saint Anthony. The hiking path is quite flat and very easy to follow if you keep to the marked trail which follows several small farm roads and some overgrown paths covered so thickly with trees, it appears that you’re walking through a dimly lit cave at times. There are also several nice houses to see along the way including this one just to the left of the church. Along one street called la Fosse Lonlay you come across this beautiful house with a thatched roof. Later on, past some apple orchards you come to a place called Ferme de la Chaussée with a rundown farm which is in need of repair. I don’t think that will be a problem since most “Norman peasant” farms are being quickly bought up by the rich and turned into holiday cottages. Even though this dirt road looks like any other dirt road in Normandy, it is actually the remains of the old Roman Way or Voie gallo-romaine. Le bois de l'Etot Rouge belongs to one of the most beautiful sets of woods in the Cotentin. It was formerly part of the great forest of Brix, which occupied more than 7,000 hectares in the 17th century. Along another small road called Les Planques I came across a man harvesting cherries from his trees. His house was surrounded by hydrangeas of every color. There is only one stream that you cross along the course of the hike and that takes you over the Rivire de Gloire. It is crossed by a ford of flat stones called Gué à pierres plates. Past fields planted with corn, through country lanes lined with tall trees and through thick underbrush you'll eventually come back to this waterway again which joins les étangs de Roudoux (a series of two large ponds) within a beautiful valley. The two ponds are located on private property and until recently they were open to visitors for water recreation activities. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case as the sign posted on the gate reads: The smaller of the two lakes is still open to the public and has two large swans to entertain you. The last stretch of the hike takes you past the farm and the Château de Rochemont from whence this hike gets its name. It was built in the late 18th century by ancestors of the De Mondesir family, who managed to hold onto their property despite the French Revolution due to their support for it. The outbuildings and nearby farm house are lined with more hydrangeas in nearly every shade of blue you can think of. There are a number of lovely houses along the route as well including this charming little cottage with its appealing gardens. Are you interested in owning your own little castle or manor house ? This one is located just beside the church and is currently for sale.

Another beautiful weekend in La Manche ! Lots of sunshine and warm temperatures. On Saturday, I went for another short hike around the town of Lestre. This particular hike was called Randonnée le circuit du Bouillon which roughly translates as the walk around the boiling rapids--an interesting name since there are no rapids to be seen along the streams you have to cross and they are certainly not boiling. The hike begins in Lestre at the foot of the church of St-Martin, with a typical Normandy saddleback bell tower and doorways that date from the 13th century. Inside is a triple aisle nave with two side chapels. I thought the baptismal font was one of the most interesting pieces since it was intricately carved and adorned with quotes from the Bible. Above the choir is a “pouter de gloire” or rood screen which separates the main altar from the rest of the church. Above the main altar is a wonderful oil painting of the Three Wise Men at the Nativity. On either side are statues of Saint-Martin and Saint John the Baptist. I couldn’t find any more information about the church but as you can see, it has several nice chapels: one dedicated to the Virgin and another to Saint-Martin. There is also a stained glass window from 1927 created in the workshops of Charles Lorin from Chartes. Across the street is the hôtel de ville with its newly restored arches. The hiking path takes you through farmers’ fields along poorly kept paths lined with wildflowers and weeds. At times, one can get a fairly decent view of the Tourville castle, a private residence built in the 18th century by Jean-Louis Avice de Tourville . Just 400 meters away along a path marked private property is the most important motte féodale (motte-and-bailey castle) in Normandy. It dates from the 10th century and is in need of some restoration—the roof has collapsed and it is covered with vines. At one point, you have to cross a river called la Sinope which empties into the sea at Quinéville. Just beside the passerelle is another stone bridge which was also marked as private property. It is still too early in the summer to see roadways and country lanes full of foxglove, but there are a few areas where they are starting to bloom. Passing the Moulin de Rey, there are several old manor houses and stone farm buildings. What do you think of my new shirt ? I bought it on Friday at H&M during sales week--got a whole new summer wardrobe for under 90 Euros ! The trickiest part of the walk is a 200 meter stretch along the la Sinope where the path is actually just a trek along the riverside through mud and overgrown shrubs. This last bridge is called le pont bleu but its name has nothing to do with the color blue. By the time I finished walking, it was almost 2pm and I was getting rather hungry. Fortunately, I packed a lunch with me and decided to drive to the old ruins of the Chapelle St-Michel where I sat and had my lunch. The chapel of Saint-Michel is actually a ruin from the first third of the 12th century. The chapel depended on the abbey of Blanchelande and was first mentioned in writings from 1160. After the French Revolution, it was sold and its remaining stones were looted. The apse decorated with corbels of animal and human faces. These are two of the broken arches that formed the aisle. This is a statue of the Holy Trinity. Within the transept is a Gothic chapel with several statues including those of St-Côme and St-Damien as well as a recumbent effigy along one of the walls. Other statues are only fragments such as this one of St-Jacques. Through a small window in the apse, one has a good view of the sea. This same window is formed with stones laid out in a pattern called arête-de-poisson, or fish bones.

The Azeville German Coastal Battery is just north of Sainte-Mère-Eglise near the small town of Azeville about 10 km from Utah Beach. It is one of the first constructions of the Atlantic Wall in France by the Todt Organization of the Third Reich. Built in 1941, it established the presence of the German army along the coast of La Manche. It used a camouflage painted stone to blend in with village houses. It included two bunkers of type H650 and another two with type H671, each housing a French Schneider 105 mm gun from the First World War. These guns were powerful but had less of a range than those of the neighboring battery at Crisbecq. Over 300 meters of underground galleries linked the various shelters, bunkers and defense posts. Located so far inland that it did not have a direct view of the sea, it had to rely on shooting directions from the battery at Crisbecq. A garrison of 170 men served and defended this battery commanded by Commander Treiber and Captain Kattnig. The majority of men bivouacked near the battery, while the officers were accommodated in the village. In 1943 the guns received a prominent visitor when Erwin Rommel inspected the building site. After his visit work began to expand the installation and the guns that were previously placed in open positions were now built into concrete pillboxes, even though the Germans did not believe that the coast in front of the battery was under threat of invasion. Because the calibre of the four guns was only 105 mm, when the Allies landed on the nearby Utah Beach on 6th June 1944 (D-day) they were firing at maximum range and accuracy was therefore not optimal. Despite this, the Germans managed to keep the Americans on Utah under fire for two days, preventing further advances. On 9th June the 170 soldiers at the Crisbecq battery surrendered and a massive bombardment of Azeville by Allied warships started. Eventually the battery was attacked by U.S. troops equipped with flame throwers. The garrison surrendered and the fight for Azeville was over. Standing inside one of the gun casemates, where the gun is long gone, you can look out of the narrow opening towards the coast. At the back wall, down at floor level, is a sizable hole in the concrete wall. Walking through the door, into the ammunition room behind, the hole on the other size is a bit bigger and there is a large gouge in the concrete floor. Apparently this is one of the rounds that came from the SS Nevada. Nearby is the Crisbecq Battery, the largest coastal artillery battery on Utah-Beach, with its 21 pillboxes linked by over a kilometre of trenches covering a total area of 4 hectares. I didn’t pay to visit the entire site but maybe I’ll go back some other day. Meanwhile, there is a plethora of information about it at this site along with some very interesting photos.

Staying caught up with this blog is more difficult than you think. I’ve got so many photos of places I’ve visited recently that it is difficult to post everything. Still, I’m trying. A few weeks ago we had some wonderful weather and I took a short hiking trip near Lithaire along the path which winds around Mont Castre. During the 19th century, this place was the site of a stone quarry. Those mining operations ceased after the Second World War and all that remains is this large body of water in the middle of the rock. While walking, there are several panels which explain the history of the area as well as providing information about the local flora and fauna. At the top of Mont Castre there are stunning views over the countryside including the town of Lithaire which saw a lot of fighting in June 1944 during the battle of the hedgerows. Also near the top of the hill are the remains of a megalithic site that has been dated to be around 5000 years old. The site is actually a gallery grave in the form of a megalithic tomb. Two parallel walls of stone slabs were erected to form a corridor and covered with a line of capstones. The rectangular tomb was covered with a barrow or a cairn. Nearby are the remains of a more interesting ruin called the “Vieux Château.” In 56 BC, during the Gallic war against the Romans, the Gallic people, ruled by the warrior Viridorix, were beaten by the legions of Julius Caesar led by Quintus Sabinus Titurius. The area has maintained its name as "Caesar's camp." Farther down the hill are the remains of the old 11th century church known as Église St-Thomas after Thomas Becket.