The heritage of the Country is the past testimony of a daily life punctuated by the lifestyles and local habits of a territory which officiates as a perpetual memory of past and future generations.
- In perpetual memory of past generations.
And if today, you go to meet this heritage by traveling through our villages?
1. Laundry in Hérouvillette
Herouvillette
This wash house was the subject of a renovation project in 2014 carried out by the town hall and made it possible to restore its presence to the tiled roof of Bavent. Indeed, the local company Terreal worked on the mixture of three tiles to keep the old character of the work. The walls have also been restored. Nothing imposing here but all the work allows us to marvel at the richness of the heritage of our region by imagining the life of the inhabitants of the time.
2. Laundry in Ranville
3 min drive
Ranville
Between Amfreville and Hérouvillette, you can come across a small, sober and discreet washhouse in perfect condition. Why not stop there for a while to enjoy the calm and its South-West exposure?
3. St. Martin's Church
6 min drive
Amfreville
Built in the XIXe century under the reign of Louis-Philippe. For the moment, the current state of the church no longer allows its use but is worth the trip. It perfectly illustrates the activity and the rural architecture close to Bénouville.
4. Tower and dovecote
6 min drive
Merville-Franceville-Plage
Beyond the Saint Germain de Merville church which is worth the detour, we invite you to observe the surroundings because two treasures from the Middle Ages are still visible (from the outside because the interior cannot be visited).
The Merville tower: it is one of the seven towers still standing of the feudal castle built around the XNUMXth centurye century, witness to the richness of the place. The tower contains a late XNUMXth century style staircasee century, the only survivor of a fire that destroyed the castle during this same period.
The dovecote of Merville, located on the edge of the cemetery, was used by the lords of the region to breed pigeons. The building is very well preserved and you can see the few holes drilled in the 8 m high exterior wall through which birds could enter and exit. Inside: 1 cells – called putlogs – which served as nests for birds.
5. St. Joseph Chapel
17 min drive
Home Varaville
Chapel built in 1883 at the request of a trader from Rouen. First a private chapel, used 2 months a year, then an “emergency” chapel for the parish, it served as an ammunition depot for the Germans during the occupation. Damaged by the bombings of 1944, restored a year later, the chapel features flamboyant stained glass windows remarkable for their warm colors. On the south facade, the church door and the narrow bays are enhanced by the alternation of brick and stone, typical of Lower Normandy architecture.
6. Laundry in Bavent
9 min drive
Bavent
This emblematic place in the heart of the village and of the social life of the XNUMXe century has kept all its splendour. All the curious, nostalgic or heritage lovers will be delighted to be able to observe the neo-Gothic style work, whose roof is undeniably very impressive.
7. Chapel of St. Richer
5 min drive
Basseneville
Passing by the aptly named "path of the chapel", you will come across the Saint-Richer chapel, built in the XNUMXthe century in the typically Augeron architectural style. With its half-timbering and its imposing red wooden door, it may at first glance resemble a barn or a farm building. But the small bell that crowns the western wall clearly indicates its religious function. As you approach the gate, you will be able to make out the flint base.
8. Church of Saint-Martin du Ham
5 min drive
Hotot-en-Auge
The church, built on a mound, overlooked an old ferry, now replaced by a bridge. What is most striking: the steeple posed like a stool on the ridge of the roof, all clad in slate. This architecture has replaced the initial Romanesque style, some details of which can be seen on the south side wall (facing the crossroads): a few stones are carved and there is still a small part of the old cornice still visible.
9. St. George's Church
6 min drive
Hotot-en-Auge
Church built between the XIIe and the fifteenthe century whose bell tower which rises proudly on 3 levels, surmounted by a dome, has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1927. As you walk around the church, you can admire the various corbels which adorn the cornices as well as the door north with its zig-zag decorations, typical of XNUMXth century Romanesque arte century. Do not hesitate to enjoy the view of the marshes.
10. Church of Saint-Ouen de Brocottes
4 min drive
Hotot-en-Auge
Sober and elegant, the Saint-Ouen church dates largely from the XNUMXthe century. On the north side wall, you can make out a narrow lancet-shaped window (very elongated pointed arch), surmounted by the old sawtooth cornice. The tower is rather modern and probably dates from the last century. The bell tower marks the entrance and the annex adjoining the apse houses the sacristy.
11. Wash house and mansion in Beuvron-en-Auge
6 min drive
Beuvron-en-Auge
Once parked in the car park near the tourist office, take the avenue de la gare on your left. From here, on one side (on your left) you will come face to face with an old wash house located below: small and charming along the river and on the other side (on your right), with a mansion dating from the XVe century. Its eastern facade and the roof section have been listed as Historic Monuments since 1989. From the end of the XNUMXthe century this majestic building attracts the curiosity of travelers passing through Beuvron-en-Auge. Its half-timbering and its corbelled floor impress and perfectly illustrate the traditional houses of the Pays d'Auge and the work of craftsmen from the end of the XNUMXth century.e century.
Do not hesitate to take a walk in Beuvron-en-Auge and stop in front of each facade of houses, each more charming than the next.
12. St. Martin's Church
7 min drive
gerrots
Although being the smallest town in Normandy Cabourg Pays d'Auge, Gerrots knows the inestimable value of its heritage! The Saint-Martin church, which is the pride of the village, is maintained with great care. It consists of two buildings: the nave with three bays and the choir, also with three bays, smaller in size and whose southern wall has been rebuilt in brick. Note several remarkable elements: the high altar and the dome of the tabernacle of the XVIIe century.
13. Church of Our Lady of Druval
13 min drive
Beaufour Druval
Do not hesitate to go through the village of Beaufour-Druval to admire its XNUMXth century churche century whose exposed beams in an arc (overhanging farmhouse gables) on the west and east walls give it a lot of charm.
14. St. Peter's Church
4 min drive
Putot-en-Auge
The church bears witness to 3 centuries of construction: XIIe, XIIe and XVe centuries. The building has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1921. Architectural feature: the hooks that you can admire on one of the arrows had a very specific function: they were used to hang the ladders and scaffolding necessary for the maintenance of the church. Some even say that you sometimes climbed there with your bare hands!
15. Old train station
4 min drive
Putot-en-Auge
Imagine yourself in 1878: you are opposite the Dozulé-Putot railway station: 3 tracks, 2 platforms. It is located on a line born from the impulse of the region's elected officials and the growing enthusiasm for seaside resorts. This line connects Mézidon to Dives-Cabourg then to Caen and finally to Deauville-Trouville 4 years later. It is called the Côte Fleurie line. Unfortunately, suffering from road competition and the rail-road coordination decree, the Dives-Mézidon and Caen-Dozulé sections were closed to passengers from 1938 and to freight in 1969. Today, the old passenger building serves as accommodation and the shed-workshop for the locomotives serves as a communal hall. The Dives-Trouville portion is still in operation and offers remarkable views.
16. Wash house and well in Dozulé
42 sec drive
Dozulé
Says the La Coupée washhouse. Slow down and keep your eyes open so you don't miss the entrance: he is hiding just at the entrance to Dozulé on the right coming from Pont l'Évêque. This washhouse has a special charm because, built at the beginning of the XNUMXthe century, it follows the Coupérée stream and hugs its elbow perfectly.
For lovers of treasure hunting, an old well is hidden at 87 Grande Rue.
17. Old Stud
4 min drive
Dozulé
The current Espace Culturel Fernand Seigneurie was in fact a stud farm at the very beginning of the XNUMXth century.e century. For proof, note the word " HARAS " inscribed on the facade of the building! In 1918, the building consisted of a stable, flanked by two dwellings. Within the stable: Percherons weighing 800 to 1000 kg used as draft horses, "leisure" horses for walks and trips and French trotters who distinguished themselves in horse racing. Over the years, the tractor and the car ended up replacing the first two and the stud farm closed its doors.
18. St. Leger Church
7 min drive
Angerville
Small XNUMXth century churche century alternating Roman and Gothic style. The mixture of styles is clearly visible from the street on the wall of the southern facade with the flat arched and pointed windows. The entire bell tower is covered with slates from the body to the spire.
19. St. Blaise Church
7 min drive
Douville-en-Auge
Four centuries of history and two distinct eras are part of this church. The XIIe century marks the beginning of the construction of the monument with the nave. Then comes the XIIIe century and the choir. It will take three more centuries for the church to be crowned with a bell tower! The windows of the nave date from the XNUMXth century.e century. The turret visible at the west corner contains the staircase leading to the bell tower and between the bays of the nave, at the level of the cornice, you will be able to observe the very well preserved corbels with grimacing figures.
20. Notre-Dame Church and laundry
9 min drive
hayland
Isolated in a nest of greenery, this charming little flint church, built from the XNUMXthe, seduced by the harmony of its proportions, its bell tower at the junction of the nave and the choir and the more recent half-timbered lean-to attached to the apse to the east.
A few meters from the church, on the D276 towards Mare aux Poids, look carefully along the road on your right and you will come across the village wash house. The pillars were restored in 1992 and the roof has just been restored in 2021 using the traditional method, with natural slate.
21. Church of Auberville
9 min drive
Auberville
A stone's throw from the famous cliffs of the Vaches Noires and their fossils, the Nore-Dame church overlooks the sea and is impressive with its steeple-wall pierced by two bays each housing a bell. If you are lucky enough to be able to enter on an opening day, admire the magnificent wooden ceiling of the nave whose beams are exposed.
22. Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and Sainte-Honorine fountain
5 min drive
Gonneville sur Mer
The church located in the heart of this ancient Roman village has its own fountain below. Its water is placed under the protection of the patron saint of boatmen and is said to cure certain eye diseases. The spring in the church district produces 6 liters per second and a circular basin has been formed here surrounded by a semi-circular rubble wall.
23. Church of Grangues and Saint-Roch fountain
6 min drive
Grangues
The church of Grangues will surprise you with its asymmetrical gable wall, pierced with putlog holes (memories of the scaffolding of its construction). This one shelters in its top 2 bells of which one of the XVIe century, classified as an object of art in the inventory of Historic Monuments. At the foot of the church (illuminated in the evening) and at the level of the grand staircase, the Saint-Roch “healer” fountain enjoys great renown. The water from this spring is said to have the property of curing whooping cough. The sources of Grangues supply the city of Cabourg with water every day.
24. Source of the Star
8 min drive
Brucourt
The water that springs from this source with a low flow rate has been known since 1637. In 1844, analyzes confirmed its high iron concentration. In 1885, the medical academy approved its consumption and the merits of the ferruginous water of Brucourt were loudly praised. But the flow rate was too low and then the 1914 war stopped any attempt to sell bottles and plans for a thermal establishment.
25. Bois Hibout Manor and Medieval Halls
2 min drive
Dives-sur-Mer
Start by admiring the Place de la République with the Manoir du Bois Hibout which gives it an undeniable charm with its cut stones. The facades which rise on five levels have been listed as Historic Monuments since 1927. The interior of the Manor is visible when entering the wine merchant La Cave de l'Abbaye.
Then head to the Medieval halls whose beautiful exposed framework you can admire (even behind the gate if it is closed). The local producers' market is held there every Saturday morning.
26. Barony
4 min drive
Dives-sur-Mer
Inhabited by monks in the Middle Ages, it was a dependency of the Abbaye aux Hommes de Caen. The gable that overlooks the rue de l'Hôtel de ville was built using materials from the sea and the soil. It is adorned with a beautiful skylight and one can also see between the two square windows the exterior drain of an old sink.
27. Belfry
Dives-sur-Mer
At the entrance to Port Guillaume, the belfry stands proudly as a witness to a century of metallurgical industry in Dives-sur-Mer. Built in 1891, this imposing building housed the offices of the former Tréfimétaux copper factory, which closed in 1986. At the time, the moderate price of land and the proximity to the railways and the port made Dives-sur -mer the ideal location for the development of this industry. In 1917, the factory employed 2150 people.
Today, it hosts the Intercommunal School of Music and Le Sablier Pôle des Arts de la Marionnette.
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