If you have been reading my blog and thank you for it doing it since Nov 2010; then you know my sentimental attachment to Honfleur. A city gear to the ocean and fishing and the Calvados dept 14 of Normandy, I have several posts on it in my blog and they are all special to me. I had to go there again for a personal duty that I had to do, put the ashes of my father at sea as were my mother and wife, Let me tell you again about the Lieutenance of Honfleur !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
Two buildings are to be distinguished in the lieutenancy, first the basement, made of stone, built around a corridor, is what remains of the enclosure. Above, the brick and stone buildings, built in the 17C, housed the apartments of the King’s Lieutenant from which it got its name. The very first ramparts of the city of Honfleur were erected in the 13C, around the so-called paddock. Around 1350, Charles V built a veritable fortress surrounding the harbour. The enclosure consisted of powerful walls. Two gates opened on the outside: the Porte de Rouen gate and the Porte de Caen , in other words the lieutenancy. The present façade dating from the 16C.
In front of the lieutenancy stood the Tour Carre or square tower. As in La Rochelle, chains stretched between these two towers closed the entrance to the port. The square tower was demolished in 1808. The presence of a building is attested as early as the 11C, a time when Honfleur was not yet fortified. It was profoundly reengineered between the 16-17C. In the middle of the fortifications, this city gate dates from the beginning of the 18C. Following a donation of Queen Anne of Austria, the gate receives in 1643 a niche with a statue of the Virgin, Notre Dame du Port it will be partially destroyed at the end of the 18C, it would regain its place in 1863. And the SNSM boat (volunteer lifesaving organisation) of many memories of my family bears the name of the Virgin.
Keeper of the old basin, the lieutenancy (or Steward or Lieutenance in French) is the last bastion of the medieval Honfleur, the last vestige of the ramparts, dismantled at the end of the 17C by order of Colbert . Last vestige of the fortifications of Honfleur, the building was the housing of the King’s lieutenant. The King’s lieutenant was the ruler’s representative in a region. Two buildings are to be distinguished in the lieutenancy: the bedrock, made of stone, built around a corridor, is what remains of the enclosure. Above, the brick and stone buildings, built in the 17C, sheltered the apartments of the king’s Lieutenant. It is surmounted by a niche, which contains a statue of the Virgin, Notre Dame du Port (Our Lady of the Port), and flanked by two graceful turrets in corbelled, decorated with the weapons of the city. The Lieutenance or lieutenancy of Honfleur is located near the vieux bassin or old basin. In 1662, the lieutenancy is one of the two gates of Honfleur. Called the Porte de Caen, it will be one of the only accesses from 1682 after the destruction of the Porte de Rouen in 1682. From 1684, the building officially took the name Lieutenance after the creation of the King’s lieutenant’s apartments. of the old basin, the lieutenancy is the last bastion of the medieval Honfleur, last vestige of the ramparts, dismantled at the end of the 17C by order of Colbert. The lieutenancy, as we see it nowadays, is the result of many renovations over the centuries.
The Lieutenance, this prestigious building which sits at the entrance to the Vieux Bassin de Honfleur, has just been completely restored and has been open to the public since April 8th, 2023 ! . It hosts a CIAP (Center for the Interpretation of Architecture and Heritage) on the maritime history of Honfleur and an artists’ residence.
It offers a permanent exhibition in three rooms and the building’s terraces. The first room gives a historical approach to the city, its main stages from its origin to today from a projection on a model. The military period is developed there. In the second room, the visitor discovers the different facets that have forged the maritime identity of the city: the great explorations, fishing, maritime trade, shipyards, the industrialization of the port, inspiration and production artistic and tourist turning point of the city. The third room highlights the built heritage: materials and construction techniques are explained and illustrated by examples from Honfleur. The route continues on the outside terraces of the Lieutenancy, which allow you to read the landscape and observe the city, its urban planning, its port facilities using models and its evolutions over time thanks to virtual reconstructions offered by binoculars. It is also a creative center to promote contemporary art and its artists. The mission of the residency is to give artistic resonance to maritime heritage,
A plaque in memory of Samuel de Champlain, a navigator who explored Canada and founded the city of Québec from Honfleur in 1608, is affixed to the south facade of the building. The lieutenance is wonderful to look at every time coming into town and walking around it is sublime very nice area by the Vieux Bassin or old basin.
The city of Honfleur on the Lieutenance: https://www.ville-honfleur.com/decouvrir-honfleur/honfleur-et-son-patrimoine/la-lieutenance/
The Honfleur tourist office on the old bassin and Lieutenance:https://www.ot-honfleur.fr/visiter-decouvrez/patrimoine/le-vieux-bassin-la-lieutenance/
There you go folks, another gem in my beloved Honfleur, the world comes to it and we do each time in the city; the Lieutenance , remember the name as in lieutenant. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Lieutenance of Honfleur !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 