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BAYEUX
BAYEUX TAPISSERY
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From your lobby, we drive to the well-known
and famous, Bayeux tapestry which tells the story of the preparation,
landing, battle and victory of William, Duke of Normandy, near
Hasting, UK. This battlefield is known simply today as the “Battle”.
We then walk in Bayeux and you have a 1 hour tour discovering
all the charming places, the streets and the cathedral of this
lovely never-destroyed town. Bayeux and Honfleur are the two
Norman towns which didn’t suffer any damage in 1944! You
might also be interested to visit the park where President Charles
De Gaulle gave his first speech to the French people, and the
World, upon return from exile in England following the Allied
Invasion of the Norman Coast. This is truly a historic spot for
you to see. Bayeux was the first French capital re-established
following the Nazi occupation of France.
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 The Tapestry of Bayeux which is one of the most
historically important, and unusual, chronicles of its day, is
now located in the town of Bayeux in Normandy. The 70m-long (231ft)
tapestry offers a splendidly vivid depiction of the events leading
up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
It begins with Harold of
Wessex’s visit to Normandy and his meeting with
Duke William in 1064, and culminates with the flight of the English
army at Hastings. All the main intervening events, including the
death of King Edward the Confessor in January 1066, Harold's coronation,
William's elaborate invasion preparations, his landing at Pevensey,
the Battle of Hastings and Harold's death, are covered in painstaking
detail. Along the top and bottom of the tapestry run decorated
borders illustrating scenes of contemporary warfare, hunting  and
husbandry and also some episodes from the fables of Aesop and Phaedrus.
The tapestry is often referred to in French as La Tapisserie de
la Reine Mathilde (Queen Mathilda’s Tapestry) after William’s
wife. Although it was almost destroyed in 1792 when French revolutionaries
used it as a wagon cover, the whole tapestry (with the exception
of the final section, thought to have depicted William's coronation
in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066) has survived to this
day and can still be viewed by visitors to the town of Bayeux.
The Tapestry consists of 626 humans, 55 dogs, 202 horses, 41 ships,
49 trees, almost 2000 Latin words, over 500 mythical and non mythical
creatures such as birds and dragons. At least 8 colours of yarn
are discernible. It is approximately 70 metres long and half a
metre wide.
CAEN
ABBEY AUX HOMMES
CASTLE OF CAEN
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  We drive few miles East towards Caen and park near the Abbey aux
Hommes inaugurated by William and his wife in 1077. Here we will
provide you with a 1 hour lecture, so that you can learn about the
11th Century Invasion and this huge and impressive Abbey. An essential
link to 1944 will be revealed to you as it was a location used by
many Citizens of Caen in 1944.
At the castle of Caen, you discover how
the Normans were fortifying their strong places and you see the
original castle built during the 11th Century
It’s time for lunch now, let’s spends 40-60 minutes
in a nearby restaurant.
(Not included)
Abbey aux Hommes : The Benedictine Abbey of St
Stephen in Caen was founded by Duke William in an outward show
of repentance for having married his remote cousin Mathilda of
Flanders.
Begun by Abbot Lanfranc in 1066, the Abbey-Church
was consecrated on 13th September 1077 and has housed the mortal
remains of its fonder since 1087.
Its noble, bare style marks the height of Romanesque
architecture of Normandy and was a great source of inspiration
on both sides of the Channel.
The Abbey was both
rich and powerful and had jurisdiction over the “Bourg l’Abbé” in
particular over the parish of St Nicolas, whose church was built
immediately after the Abbey Church itself and closed at the time
of the Revolution.
Enclosed and fortified
during the Hundred Year’s
War, the Abbey retains two medieval buildings, the “Ducal
Palace” (The guest rooms built in the lower court of the
monastery), and the “Guards Room” built in the 2nd
half of the 14th century (used today as the City Council Chamber).
Pillaged in 1562 during the wars of religion, the Abbey was reformed
and restored by the monks of Congregation of St Maur.
In 1804, it became a Lycee, while in June 1944,
the 18th Century monastic buildings and the Abbey-Church were used
to shelter the people of the city during the battle of Caen. Today
the buildings are used as the City Hall and the Abbey as a Gothic
parish church.
FALAISE
FALAISE CASTLE
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Driving South, the
next stop is the Falaise castle, William’s
father’s castle. This is a very important place which will
end this very rich and interesting William the Conqueror and Medieval
Tour!
You’ll just love it!
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