Guillaume-Le-Conquérant

At the age of twenty-two, William, Duke of Normandy's thoughts turned to marriage. He chose Matilda, the Count of Flanders' daughter and the King of France's niece. However, their degree of kinship, considered too close, led to opposition from the Pope Leo IX who forbade their marriage. Lanfranc, prior of the Bec-Hellouin Abbey and one of the duke's advisers, was to plead their cause before the Pope who finally accepted their marriage in exchange for the construction of two abbeys in Caen: The Men's Abbey (Saint Etienne, consecrated in 1077) and the Ladies Abbey (Sainte Trinité, consecrated in 1066). The facade, the nave and the base of the transept are William's abbey-church's oldest vestiges: the harmonic facade comprises two symmetrical towers enclosing a central gable. Indeed, it was Saint Etienne de Caen that provided this model, subsequently borrowed and copied throughout Norman Europe. Furthermore, the abbey buildings are a magnificent example of classical architecture dating from the 18th century restoration campaign.

Address:
Hôtel de Ville
Esplanade Jean-Marie Louvel
14027 CAEN Cedex 09
Tel: 02 31 30 42 81
norange@ville-caen.fr
www.ville-caen.fr

Opening hours and rates:
Open from 2nd January to 31st December

Guided tours: 4 per day: 9:30am, 11am, 2:30pm & 4 pm. Lasts 1hr30. In July & August 3 further departure: 10:15am, 3:15pm & 5:15pm. Lasts 50 min.

Rates 2011: Adults 3€ - Free of charge (-18 years) - Free entry for all on Sundays.