Saint-Pierre En-Auge Benedictine Abbey

Tuesday – A nice and relaxed morning, out of bed at 08:00, the standard breakfast of Weetbix and yoghurt for me. We left home just before 10:00 for the drive to Livarot “Graindorge Fromagerie” cheese factory. This was something totally new for me to see the making of cheese. As a “foody” Sylvie was in her element here and took time to view everything, Marie-The and Aziz ran ahead of us and were soon lost until we met again at the end in the shop. An interesting experience. We purchased a camembert for Marie-The and Le Crémeux cheese for mum. In Livarot we walked around looking for a lunch opportunity, but everything was closed. Probably to be expected for the day after Christmas, so we drove to the picturesque village of Saint-Pierre En-Auge. Very historic with a medieval market, which was partially destroyed during the war by the Germans and since rebuild, and a Benedictine Abbey "Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives" in which is buried the great-aunt of William the Conqueror in 1057. Overall, a great day and historically interesting.
The Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives was founded in the 11th century by Countess Lesceline. . A thousand years later, its abbey church, its adjoining monastic buildings, the cloister courtyard and the superb chapter house make it one of the most intact ensembles of monastic architecture in Normandy.The buildings of the former monastery, attached to the abbey church, form a “C” shape and create a cloister. At the end of the French Revolution, the monastery was sold as national property, and the abbey church was transformed into a parish church. Countess Lesceline, the founder of the abbey, died in 1057. She was the great-aunt of William the Conqueror, then Duke of Normandy and future King of England. She is buried in the abbey church and her tomb can be found there today. The meridian - This secular device is a rare example in France. A line is carved into the floor from north to south and divides the earth into two hemispheres. In line with the meridian, a small hole has been drilled into the stained glass. When the sun passes through this hole (called a “gromon”), its rays illuminate a zodiacal sign on the floor according to the season. The choir of the abbey church features an exceptional Pré d’Auge ceramic floor dating from the end of the 12th century, a rare testimony to the art of terracotta flooring. The tomette tiles are arranged in an alternating pattern of fleurs-de-lis and fantastical animals with a three-metre-wide rosette in the centre of the composition.Read more