Paris1972-Versailles2003

This is an icon of Honfleur, Calvados and Normandie and uniquely boat roof in wood only one in France! This is my beloved Honfleur and its main Church of Sainte Catherine. We make it a must to stop by each time in town and it has been many luckily! Hope you enjoy this wonderful monument of Honfleur updating from 2019!

Again by my beloved city of Honfleur, in the Calvados dept 14 of the region of Normandie. I have written so much on this city in my blog over the years, and even sometimes repeated but to me its all worth it. If you have read my blog…  Coming to see once again the Church of Sainte Catherine by the old basin or port of Honfleur is always gratifying. It offers a unique architectural experience and loving history of the locals, hard earned traditions and just a positive feeling all around it.  My belle France has an ever lasting inventory of gems some known ,most not, but all exquisite.

The Sainte-Catherine Church has the particularity, very rare in France, to be built essentially of wood. The church is located near the old basin (Vieux Bassin) , just behind the Quai Sainte-Catherine. It is the largest Church built in wood with a bell-tower separated from it in France. This choice of material is due to the lack of resources of the inhabitants of the time. But with a drawback, the local Honfleurais were able to make it an asset. With their knowledge of shipbuilding, they built the Church, with two separate naves, in the manner of a ship, with the help of wood from the forest of Touques. The result is breathtaking. Not to be missed.

The Church is dedicated to Sainte Catherine of Alexandria as recalled by a wooden sculpture above the porch of the bell-tower separated from the two naves. She is depicted wearing a wheel and a sword. The first nave (the one on the left) is the oldest part of the building, dating back to the second half of the 15C, built after the hundred years war. It was built on the model of a market hall, where shipbuilding elements were used, giving the appearance of a overturned boat hull. Then, the bell tower was erected at a good distance from the nave, to prevent the parishioners present in the church from being burned in the event of a fire. In the 16C, a second nave was added to the right of the previous one, the vault of which conformed to the wooden vaults of the modest Gothic churches. It therefore has a more rounded shape and a structural layout, unrelated to the structure of a ship. In addition, the two naves are lengthwise by two additional spans. In addition, they are framed by the same length aisles, also wooden vaulted. It is the largest Church built in wood with a bell-tower separated from it in France.

The Ste Catherine Church is partially covered with chestnut-wood shingles, which are called dialectally shingles and thus constitute weatherboarding The neo-Norman porch was built on the model of those of the rural churches of Normandy at the beginning of the 20C and replaces a monumental portal in neo-classical  style in the previous century and which can be seen depicted on some canvases of Jongkind or Boudin. The southern portal is Renaissance style.

Note the classical organ from the parish of Saint Vincent de Rouen and the Renaissance balcony adorned with musicians. 19C stained glass Windows decorate the window of the choir to the east. The Church of Sainte Catherine  is devoid of transept and the aisles of chapels that are only materialized by recent statues of Holy characters including the indigenous Saint Marcouf and St. Teresa of Lisieux.

A sight to behold and a must to see while in Honfleur, enough said; plenty written all over my blog. Hope you can see and enjoy it as we do. Some webpages to help you plan your trip here are:

The Honfleur tourist office on the church and neighborhood Sainte Catherine: https://www.ot-honfleur.fr/je-profite-sur-place/patrimoine/leglise-sainte-catherine-et-son-faubourg/

The Calvados dept 14 tourist board on the Church Sainte Catherine of Honfleur: https://www.calvados-tourisme.co.uk/offer/eglise-sainte-catherine/

The Normandy tourist board on the Church Sainte Catherine of Honfleur: https://www.normandie-tourisme.fr/sites-lieux-de-visites/eglise-sainte-catherine/

And there you go another gem I said, a must to see ,I said. Enough me think , now its up to you. Enjoy Honfleur , my beloved dear city in Calvados in Normandy in my belle France. Until my next round on Honfleur!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!

And here I am again updating/revising my older post in a magical roller coaster ride that I am enjoying so much; and I thank you for reading me over the years. Let me tell you a bit about the streets of my Honfleur!

Ok so I will  tell you again of a special town of mine for reasons explained in my blog several times. Sentimental and nice, as well as being the 2nd most visited site in all of Normandy just behind MSM (Mont Saint Michel).  I like to tell about the sights and architecture, beautiful streets of my beloved Honfleur. Here I go!

Oops a monument on the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville is well the Hôtel de Ville or city/town hall. The reconstruction of the municipal building was envisaged at the end of the Ancien Régime due to the condition of the building but in fact this reconstruction cannot take place due to the events of the French revolution. Eventually , the first stone was laid in 1832, and the work ended in 1837. The building is made of stone. It has two levels and a beautiful staircase as well as a gallery with Doric columns. The City/Town Hall is a representative example of the public architecture of the July Monarchy.

The rue Cachin : It has been totally renovated with some ups and downs by the local residents. Aesthetically, it is overall a success. It has nothing to do with the old rue Cachin, which was really sad. But there are a few tweaks to be made. All the more so as Rue Cachin is the closest to Rue de la République, the city’s main artery.

The Rue de la République : This was the old Cours d’Orléans opened on old marshy meadows called the Prés Saint-Martin. It owes its name to Louis-Philippe Joseph, Duke of Orleans and logically changed its name during the French revolution, becoming the cours de l’Egalité. Under the Empire, it became the rue Impériale and at   the Restauration named rue Royale before a deliberation gave it back its name of cours d’Orléans, on August 26, 1830. It was finally in 1870 that it took its current name of rue de la République. From its opening in the 1770s, the road was planted with Elms. The quant nice Hotel La Diligence is at 53 Rue de la République, and the   property dates back to 1900. Here near my apartment is a wonderful school of music Erik Satie at 44 Rue de la République!

The rue Haute :  At the site of this street, there was a Roman road. Legend has it that Julius Caesar embarked in 55-54 BC from the Honfleur coast to conquer Brittany (now England). The rue Haute, which is the lowest street in the city, owes its name to the fact that it was above the sea which beat the foot of the houses. Two houses to look at here are the one at 28 rue Haute dates from the second quarter of the 16C more precisely 1540. The house is half-timbered and stone-built and has a corbel. Also, the house at 15 rue Haute, formerly rue Gambetta. The property dates from the 16C or even from the 15C. The house is half-timbered and in stone. Equipped with corbels, the house has sculptures on its sand pits, vines, human faces and animals.

The Rue des Prés, is an old street where there are lots of rental premises including the one we rented . It is joined by the Rue de la République which turning left takes you to the vieux basin of the port of Honfleur.

The city of Honfleur on its heritage: https://www.ville-honfleur.com/decouvrir-honfleur/

And there you go some nice pictures of my beloved Honfleur in Calvados dept 14 of Normandy, in my belle France. Hope you have enjoy the walk…

And remember, happy travels , good health, and many cheers to all!!!