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The Town Hall
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The Town Hall houses a library of 14000 ancient printed
books, as well as a tresor of 203 parchment manuscripts,
many of which are illuminated, taken from the Mont St
Michel abbey. They represent one of the most famous monastic
collections of the Romanesque era. |
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The Episcopal palace
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Rebuilt
after the Hundred Years' War by Louis de Bourbon
and several times restored, is what remains of the
residence of the bishops of Avranches. |
A room, once used as a lobby, boasts a vaulting
roof with intersecting ribs and a spiral granite
staircase in an elegant octagonal tower. |
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Episcopal palace's octogonal tower |
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The municipal museum
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The
municipal museum holds important collections of Normand
ethnography and a medieval workroom, which was
devoted to writing and illuminating, was restored
thanks to the Gilberte Garrigou collection.. |
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Daniel Huet square
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At the bottom of the Daniel Huet square,
a 17C gravestone enclosed with chains indicates
the original location of the Cathedral's north gate
where Henry II, King of England made public penance
in 1172 for the murder of Thomas Beckett, archbishop
of Canterbury. The Cathedral of Saint André stood
here until its destruction during the French Revolution.
Recent excavations revealed the foundations of this
Romanesque building begun in 1025: it was erected
upon two older religious buildings from the 5C and
9C. |
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Rue de Lille
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In rue de Lille, formally called rue des Prêtres
(Priest's street), the houses bordering were occupied
by canons and numerous clergymen flocked round the
Cathedral. |
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Several houses have preserved their old character,
such as the remarkable north facade of the Doyenné
with its Renaissance-style mullioned windows alternating
with buttresses. Further down the house at n°13
displays a fine granite facade and n°7, a half-timbered
house, is the seat of the Conseil des Prud'hommes
(conciliation board in labour disputes). |
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Rue Engibault
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With its central gutter, rue Engibault, a cobbled
narrow alley, has kept its medieval aspect. |
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The Bergevin Estate
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Built
on the site of the medieval castle's second enclosures,
during the 18C it was used as the residence of the governor.
With its terraced garden, it is a fine example of the
estates which belonged to Avranches' Bourgeosie on the
eve of the French Revolution. |
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it belonged to the painter Albert Bergevin whose
works are exhibited in themuseum. |
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The Castle and the Keep
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The
castle was built on the remains of the former Roman
enclosure in 950 by Onfroi Le Dane. A succession
of enclosures and moats were then added. Unfortunately
the Romanesque keep disappeared last century.
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at the top of a crenellated curtain wall situated
in the heart of the town's different quarters, you
can enjoy a panoramic view of the bay and valley
of the river Sée. |
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The Estouteville place
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this square, you can see the east line of the town's ramparts
and the jail tower. |
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Maison de l'Artisanat
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