Abbaye aux Dames (église de la Sainte-Trinité)

Caen

Founded around 1059–1060 by Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, the Abbaye aux Dames of Caen, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, forms with the neighbouring Abbaye aux Hommes the founding monastic pair of the city. According to the tradition reported by historians, its creation was in part an act of penance: the marriage of William and Matilda, united despite a tie of consanguinity, had been placed under interdict by Pope Leo IX, and the founding of the two abbeys is said to have secured papal absolution. Other readings see in it above all a strategy of power, William seeking to anchor his authority in Lower Normandy by multiplying urban religious centres as a counterweight to the influence of the great barons. Construction of the abbey church, begun in 1062, was completed in 1130, with its harmonic facade typical of Norman Romanesque art. Matilda died in 1083 and her tomb, an engraved slab of black marble, is still to be seen in the choir of the abbey church — one of the few medieval Norman royal burials preserved in situ. Secularised at the Revolution, the abbey later became a hospice before being restored in the 20th century; today it houses the seat of the Regional Council of Normandy while remaining open to visitors and to worship.

Getting there : Place Reine-Mathilde, in the very centre of Caen; free visits to the abbey church; chapter rooms and park accessible on the guided tours organised by the Normandy Region, whose regional council has its seat here.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound