The original building that is now the choir of Église St-Pierre-de-Bolleville was first constructed between the 13th and 14th century. The rest of the building underwent extensive reconstruction during the 18th century as well as the 20th century when the church was badly damaged by bombs in 1944. The interior of the church is quite sombre and only lit with a few beautiful stained glass windows installed in the 1920s to commemorate local members of the community who died during the First World War. The oil painting above the main altar was done in the 19th century after Rubens and depicts Christ being taken down from the cross. To the left and right are the statues of Saint Paul and Saint Peter. The north chapel is dedicated to the Virgin and has statues of Saint Stephen (17th century), Saint Anthony and Saint Peter. Of note is the spectacular 17th century chapel of Saint Sebastien with its beautifully sculpted wood. At the back of the nave is a 17th century baptismal font of limestone covered with a sculpted oak lid.

Vocable Sainte-Colombe, martyrisée en 273.  Dans sa prison, un homme, sur ordre de l’empereur, s’apprête a la violer.  Une ourse se jette sur lui.  On vient metre le feu à la prison, l’ourse bouscule l’incendiaire.  Colombe est finalement décapitée.  Son culte est largement répandu en Europe occidentale.  En Normandie, douze églises lui sont dédiées don’t quatre dans la Manche.  Elle est invoquée pour obtenir la pluie.

L’église de Chef-du-Pont occupe une place importante dans l’histoire de l’art normand par l’importance de ses parties romanes.  La nef, fort remaniée en 17 siècle, a gardé sa structure generale, marquée par six arcades d’une grande austérité.  La porte qui ouvre sur le mur pignon est ornée, sur l’archivolte supérieure, de pointes de diamant évidées; sur les chapiteaux, serpent et cheval à tête d’homme.  La choeur n’a presque pas été touché.  Ses deux travées voûtées sur croisées d’ogives se terminent par un chevet plat éclairé par un triplet.  L’arc triumphal est en cintre outrepassé.  Le choeur est garni, au dessous des fenêtres, d’arcatures qui reposent sur en banc, comme à la trinité de Caen et dans la nef de Rots (canton de Tilly, 14).  Elles sont ornées de pointes de diamant évidées - que l’on retrouve sur deux portes murées du choeur et du transept.  Des éléments de cette arcature, démontés, ont été remontés au revers du chevet, dans la sacristie.  Leurs chapiteaux, comme ceux de l’arc triumphal sont garnis de rinceaux don’t certains éminent de têtes humaines ou bien de crochets et de feuillages plats.  L’élément sculpté le plus remarquable se trouve a l’extérieur, sur le tympan d’une porte murée au sud du choeur.  On personanage, traité avec un grand sens de movement y terrasse un lion.  Les historiens d’art y croient reconnaître le thème de Sampson tuant le lion qui est considéré par les théologiens du Moyen Age comme la préfiguration de la victoire du Christ sure le paganisme.  La sacristie a été construite par Robert Gignet de Carquebut, en 1778.

L’autel, rocaille et de très belle qualité, 1776, est très proche de celui d’Amfreville.  L’on y retrouve le pélican, traité avec vigueur et accompagné de superbes rameaux de laurier et d’olivier ainsi que de pampers.  Les belles portes de sacristie sont peintes en fausse loupe d’orme ou, comme on dit, en “pelure d’oignon”.  Sur le tabernacle, agneau sur un autel, épis et grappes de raisin.

Dans le choeur, tombes du Moyen Age.

Sous le clocher, une belle statue de Sainte-Colombe en plâtre peint du 18 siècle et un curieux buste de personage tenant un livre, en plâitre plein polychrome, peut-être aussi du 18 siècle. 

La perque, du 18 siècle, comporte un riche décor avec gonfanon décoratif dans le style de Berain.  Elle vient d’être restaurée et redorée.  Le Christ paraît plus récent.

Bas côté nord: autel et retable en bois peint, 18 siècle; Saint-Sébastien, plâtre.

Bas côté sud: autel et retable de même époque.  Curieuse et belle statue de “Vierge allaitant”, plâtre polychrome 18 siècle.

Nef: toile représentant l’Assomption qui a été retaillé dans une plus grande en mauvais état – provident d’un presbytère et, auparavant peut-être d’un retable.  Fonts ovales avec consoles opposés sur le pied.  Bénitier encastré, pierre 17 siècle.

Mais l’objet le plus extraordinaire ce sont les peintures de la chaire (17  - 18 siècle).  La cuve est ornée de cinq losanges et cinq petit rectangles qui représentent, en camaïeu, des personnages don’t l’identification n’est pas aisée, en raison des couches de glacis et des vernis successifs.  En haut, sur les losanges, on croit reconnaître le Christ rédempteur entouré de Saint-Pierre et de Saint-Paul; aux extrémités un pape et un roi (ou un empereur).  En bas, sur les rectangles, des évangélistes ou des docteures de l’église.  On distinguée un boeuf (Saint-Luc) et un ange (Saint-Mathieu).

Nous avons pas vu le lutrin orné d’un buste de prophète – il paraît que celui-ci aurait disparu – ni la belle statue de Saint Jean l’Evangéliste.

Vitraux:

Choeur: “une ourse protégé Sainte-Colombe”, signe Mauzet 19.., armoiries: d’azur au lion rampant d’or, au chef d’argent chargé de trois rosés de gueules.  Un martyre de Saint-Simon, de même facture, “don de Mme Blondel en mémoire de la famille Roualle”.

Sur le pignon oust, le Christ “don des paroissiens, souvenir du jubilé 1926”

Cimetière: Près l’angle du choeur et du collatéral sud, tombe de Jean-François Laurence “conservateur et curé de l’église, né dans cette paroisse le 30 novembre 1758 et décedé le 11 août 1822. Requiescat in pace”.

On Sunday, October 9th, I went with a group of 40 people from the AVF Cherbourg Association on a tour of several private and public manors, châteaux, churches, windmills and gardens that make up a large part of this region’s cultural heritage.  The first stop of the day was the Manoir de Gonneville near the small village of Saint-Jacques-de-Néhou.  It is a fortified farm with a large courtyard and is representative of the civil architecture of this region that has its roots in the 13th century.  The lord of the manor and his tenant lived in buildings with openings mainly on the inner courtyard.  The exterior walls had few if any windows in order to protect the residents from unfriendly neighbors.  The main entrance to the manor was enclosed by a large imposing porch, which has long since disappeared.  The main residence, which has been restored, is in the Renaissance style of the 16th century.  The ceiling of the roof reaches to great heights, it has mullioned windows and the chimneys are decorated with small stone balls (a sign that the manor belonged to a lord or someone of royalty).  Above the dormer window to the right is a sundial facing south.  The house of a lower height on the right has its origins in the 13th century and served as the residence for the lord’s tenant.  Further to the right are the cellar and the stables.  They were built here for practical reasons so that one could quickly and easily look after the horses.  Naturally the carriage house was placed next to the stables.  The ceilings and roofs have all been restored with original materials.  The beams and joists are made of oak with cracks and chinks filled in with strips of chestnut.  On the other side of the courtyard are buildings strictly regulated for agricultural and storage use.  The stone walls against the hillside are close to a meter in thickness.  There is a small barn for storing wood, a small stable, a large barn and a special room with a cider press.  The cider press, called a pressoir, is an exact replica of the one that used to be here.  It was able to produce one metric tonne of cider from the apples that grew in the orchards.  The time-honored tradition of making apple cider on the premises may have diminished over the centuries in Normandy but there is still a large number of people who embrace the art of cider making in our region.  (Here is a link that allows you to see the entire process of cider making as it was practiced using such a press.)  In the corner of the courtyard is a cylindrical pigeonnier (dovecote).  This is evidence that the lord of the manor had certain rights and powers.  For centuries, only important people could own pigeons due to the fact that they were used for communication purposes and their droppings used as fertilizer.  Inside there are about 400 niches for the birds corresponding to the number of hectares of land on which a lord’s power extended.  The central pillar allowed for a rotating ladder, or "potence", providing an easy way to collect eggs and to provide maintenance to the tower.  On the grounds outside of the courtyard are three different buildings which served very different purposes.  In front of the courtyard entrance is a garage.  Cited in nearly all regional records, this was once a chapel dedicated to Saint-Clair.  The garage was built long ago using the stones from the ruins.  In the meadow behind the lord’s residence is a bakery with a bread oven maintained in perfect condition.  The entire roof is made of lauze stone. Originally, the rooftops of the manor house were also made of such stone.  Over time however, when the roofs collapsed, various owners put up thin slates instead.  The difficulties of having a roof of lauze stone is the fact that the stones are quite rare, they are extremely expensive and it is necessary for the walls and internal skeleton to have a immense structural strength to support the weight of the stones.  Only the dovecote and the bakery are covered with lauze stones today.  It should be noted that the roof of the bakery has been restored using old methods, which means that no metal at all was used in its reconstruction.  The anchor of the roof frames are made of wood while stones are held to the slats by small pegs made from chestnut (prevents wood rot).  The pegs pass through an eye carved into each stone.  The stones are larger toward the bottom and smaller toward the top.  Also in the meadow behind the pigeonnier is the lime oven.  It is the oldest part of the manor since it was first necessary to build the oven in order to then build the house.  The lime mortar was used for building walls.  In fact, only the tops of doors and windows are framed in local stone.  The remaining “stones” throughout the manor were created here in the lime oven.  The manor has always been occupied and used as a working farm since its inception up until 1976.  The requirements of modern agriculture and the development of a restoration program of old homes in the region made it so that the manor is now only a place to live.  It also serves as a reminder of times gone by in this part of Normandy.  The manor has the distinct honor of once being owned by the maternal grandfather of French writer, Guy de Maupassant, Paul Lepoittevin.  He was born in 1778 at the mill of Gonneville (on the road near the bridge) because his father was the miller.  Having been well educated by the parish priest of Perques, he moved to Rouen, where he made his fortune in the textile industry.  His family was then located in the Caux region where he befriended the family of Gustave Flaubert.  In his old age, Paul Lepoittevin returned to his home in the country, buying the Gonneville mill, the Manoir de Gonneville and the Manoir Derécu on the other side of the river.

The pretty and lively city of Avranches is one of the oldest towns in Normandy and its origins date back to early antiquity.  Saint-Aubert, Bishop of Avranches in the 8th century, instigated the foundation of Mont-St-Michel and the two centers are therefore closely linked not only geographically but also historically.  Legend has it that a dense forest covered Mont-St-Michel Bay when St. Michael appeared twice before Aubert and commanded him to raise a chapel in his honor on the rock then called Mounte-Tombe.  Although sanctuaries to St. Michael were built by tradition upon high rocks, the Bishop of Avranches remained sceptical and vacillated.  St. Michael settled the matter by reappearing and digging an imperious finger into the doubting man’s skull.  Aubert could delay no longer.  A skull with a hole in it is displayed in the treasury of the Basilique Saint-Gervais recalling this legend.  Sadly, the basilica was closed during my visit and I could only get these few photos of the exterior.  Spread out to the west of the city is the Jardin des plantes.  The botanical gardens, once the property of a Capuchin monastery that was destroyed during the French Revolution, are well situated on a gentle slope below the town.  Up until 1882, the grounds were a famous botanical park used for medicinal purposes.  At the far end of the garden is a panorama of the bay.  The doorway from the 11th century chapel of St-Georges-de-Bouillet, which was set up in the garden in 1843, stands facing the huge restful bay.  From Place Daniel-Huet, one can walk along the garden paths to reach the site of the old Cathédrale Saint-André.  In very poor condition by the 18th century, it collapsed one night in April 1794.  Nothing remains but this little square, known locally as la plate-forme.  It contains the paving stone marked with a chalice on which Henry II made public penance on May 22, 1172 for the death of Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket.  The former bishop’s palace now serves as a museum dedicated to the Avranches Archaeological Society.  The buildings here date from the 14th and 15th centuries.  The previous church of Notre-Dame des Champs was situated, as its name implies, in the fields outside the southern part of the city.  Not much is known about the original edifice except through a few engravings from the 17th century.  It became too small for worship and in 1855 it was decided that a new church should be built.  A member of the parish, an architect named Théberge drew up the plans and the specifications.  However, it was not until April 12, 1855 that the cornerstone was laid.  At that time, work really took off but there was the serious question of how to finance such a grand scheme.  The bold proportions of the new church broke completely with the modest one it was replacing.  The means of the city and the parish were inadequate, especially as the rebuilding of Saint-Gervais had already cost the town dearly.  In 1865, the mayor of Avranches and the archpriest went to Paris to seek financial assistance from the state.  It took a long time before the assistance was granted in 1876 and the consecration of the church by Bishop Monsignor Germain on November 13, 1892.  The construction of the building was plagued with problems and tragedies during its slow construction.  In 1868, a mason fell from the rose window where he was working.  The architect Théberge died in 1866 and was replaced by Cheftel.  Work was once again delayed during World War I when all the manpower was mobilized to fight the Germans.  The two towers of the façade were completed between 1926 and 1937.  Sadly, the church was severely damaged during World War II by firebombing of the city.  The restoration work took several years and Notre-Dame des Champs was reopened for worship in February 1962.  Its neo-Gothic style is its most beautiful feature with extremely large windows of clear stained glass allowing an abundance of light inside.  Its exterior is decorated with numerous gargoyles that depict strange and imaginary creatures.  Nearby is the church of Saint-Saturnin.  Quite a few archaeological discoveries have been made in the surrounding region, which seem to date the area as a religious site as far back as the Middle Ages.  In 1961 the remains of sarcophagi were uncovered around rue Saint-Saturnin that complemented the information provided by the discovery in 1959 of Merovingian tombs in the choir of Notre-Dame des Champs.  In 1988, new graves were discovered during the construction of the Crédit Mutuel confirming the presence of a paleo-Christian religious site in this area of the city.  Today, nothing is visible of this ancient occupation, and, apart from a few old houses, the area is a thoroughly urbanized space with a definitive twentieth century footprint.  The church of Saint-Saturnin itself is considered rather old since it was rebuilt in the late 19th century.  Before this final restoration, the building had characteristics of the late 17th and early 18th century.  However, the western porch overlooking rue Docteur Gibert remain and date as far back as the 13th century and are considered by some historians to be the oldest in the town.  A report, from 1836, states that the church was in excellent condition and required no internal or external maintenance.  However, a transformation of the church was decided upon because of its small size.  At that time the population had increased by a fifth since 1789 and on market days the church was packed.  In 1846, Abbé Caillemer stated that Saint-Saturnin could not contain the increased numbers of parishioners and as a result, something must be done.  Significant work was undertaken by a priest to enlarge the building.  Started in 1846, the aisles of the choir were completed in October 1847 and then in 1852 the chapels of the north and south transept were created.  In 1865, the choir was raised to a new height to blend in harmoniously with the new constructions.  As with the nearby church of Notre Dame des Champs, a façade in the neo-Gothic style was created.  In 1944, the only damage it suffered during World War II was the destruction of its stained glass windows and from June 8 it was reopened for worship.  The modern stained glass windows are orange and red creating a warm glow inside yet in my opinion, the interior still is exceptionally dark.  Near the entrance are three bas-reliefs depicting Joseph and Mary’s flight to Egypt as well as the Massacre of the Innocents.  The Patton Monument is erected on the site of a strategic crossroads located south of the town and destroyed during the air raids of 1944.  The imposing memorial commemorates the deployment of General Patton’s troops toward Brittany and the areas surrounding lower Normandy (in July 1944 with the American 3rd Army).  The square on which it stands is now American territory—the soil and trees were brought over from the United States.  It was from Avranches on July 31, 1944 that General Patton began the swift advance that smashed the German Panzer counter offensive launched from Mortain.  The breakthrough marked the beginning of the attack that was to take the American 3rd Army through to Bastogne in Belgium.

Henry II Plantagenet and his Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine with their court of troubadours and poets often visited Domfront in the 12th century.  It was here in August 1170 that the papal legates attempted to achieve a reconciliation between Henry II and his estranged Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket.  Domfront passed from English to French hands and it was often under siege during the Hundred Years’ War.  In 1356 the town surrendered to the English who ruled for 10 years and only left once a ransom had been paid.  The town once again passed to the English in 1418 who relinquished it for good in 1450, only three years before the English rule in Aquitaine ended with the Battle of Castillon.  The town’s most important siege took place in 1574.  Gabriel, Comte de Montgomery (1530-1574), a former captain in the Scottish guard, who had mortally wounded the French King Henri II in a tournament, defended Domfront against the royal or Catholic forces under Comte de Matignon.  Montgomery surrendered to Matignon on the understanding that his life would be saved but was executed on the orders of Henri’s widow, Catherine de’ Medici.  The remains of the fortress now enclose a public park.  Place de la Roirie – In the Middle Ages this used to be the market hall.  The town hall was built on the site of the old convent of St-Antoine, which was destroyed in 1847.  Rue Clément Bigot – Previously rue Tripière (where they made tripe), one can see on the right a square tower that contains a staircase.  Place du Panorama – The view of the bocage (countryside) is excellent.  Before the June 14, 1944 bombing this area was entirely built up.  Place St-Julien – The first St-Julien church stood on this square; it was destroyed in 1744.  The square was then a fruit, vegetable and flower market.  Don’t miss the nice timber-framed house known as the Bistrot St-Julien.  Au Bar Normand at number 29 rue St-Julien dates from the 16th century. Rue du Dr. Barrabé – This was the main street in the Middle Ages.  Today it bears the name of a mayor of Domfront between 1888 and 1910 who brought water mains and the telephone to the town.  At number 38 one can see a half-timbered house with its upper floor projecting outward dating from the 16th century.  Cour Marie du Rocher – In the Middle Ages this courtyard was dubbed “Courtyard of Miracles” and in later centuries two town houses were built on this site.  The Hôtel Marie du Rocher, built in the 17th century, is on the left; the staircase tower was part of the Hôtel Roullin-Martinière.  La Vicomte – Residence of the viscount in the 17th century.  Notice the globes on each chimneystack.  They possibly mean that the owner was a nobleman.  L’échauguette is a watchtower on the first floor of what used to be the château de Godras.  Near Place du Champ Foire is the Lycée Auguste Chevallier.  This is the oldest building used as a teaching establishment in Lower Normandy.  It was built in 1689, and the chapel beside it dates from 1730 and is now a theatre.  It was given its current façade in 1904.  Pavillion de Boudé – This is the only building remaining of the château de Godras, the residence of the governors of Domfront from the 16th to the 18th century.  Église St-Julien was built in 1924 and one of the first to be built using reinforced concrete.  Only a few years after its completion it began to deteriorate due to cheap building materials and poor excavation of the site.  The church has had many problems ever since including falling concrete and tiles.  Even the steeple is covered in green netting to prevent further danger to people below.  It will take several years of restoration work for it to be open to the public again.  The cost of renovations exceeds the budget for Domfront and its residents and so they urgently need funds from private donations.  It was shut down in 2006 and its interior was filled with scaffolding to prevent it from falling down.  The interior was built without any pillars and its decoration was inspired by Byzantine style.  Some of the images shown here are from a booklet about the church.  All proceeds go toward restoration.  Porte de la Poterne – In this street one can admire the postern gate that allowed access to the medieval town.  There used to be five gates: Alençon, Normandie, Castle, Brière and the Postern (the smallest).  Porte d’Alençon – The last of the two towers that remains today is the entrance to the medieval town.  Along the rue des Fosses-Plissons one can still admire six remaining towers from the 12th and 13th century ramparts.  La tour Coroller  La tour Lafaye La tour Guérin Leriverain  Église Notre-Dame-sur-l’Eau – This charming Romanesque Church of Our Lady of the water (late 11th century) was badly mutilated last century when five of the seven nave bays were destroyed to make way for a road.  Following damage in 1944 the church was restored.  The bridge over the Varenne or the side of the road climbing up to the town center, provide the best overall views of the church with its squat belfry pierced by twin openings and its chevet with radiating chapels.  According to legend, at Christmas in 1166 Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, celebrated Mass in this church while in exile in France.  In the middle of the chancel with its lovely arcades is the altar composed of a granite slab supported by three squat pillars.  To the right of the chancel is a 14th century statue of the Virgin and Child.   Several 12th century frescoes have been uncovered in the south transept representing Doctors of the Church.  The recumbent statue of Pierre Ledin de la Châlerie dates from the 17th century.  This tombstone is from the grave of J. Ledéboté who died in 1606.  The other tombstone is that of Marquise Ledin who died at age 23 in 1613.