Guillaume-Le-Conquérant

At the age of 22, 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, a prior 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: one for Men (Saint Etienne) and the other for Ladies (Sainte Trinité). 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 Europe. Furthermore, the Men's Abbey buildings offer one of France's rare 18th Century abbey-church decors intact to this day.

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
Rates: Adults from 1.10€ to 2.20€
Free of charge (-18 years)
Free entry for all on Sundays