This is Saint Valery en Caux !!!

Posted in Europe, France

I found some more pictures in my cd rom vault of another wonderful town that should be in my blog for you and me, Thanks for reading me over the years, always appreciated, See my other bit on the town in my posts here but this one is special, Therefore, here is my take on this is Saint Valery en Caux !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I 

The town of Saint-Valery-en-Caux located in the Seine-Maritime department no, 76 in the Normandie region of my belle France. It is 64 km from Rouen , 35 km from Dieppe, 31 km from Fécamp, 185 km from Versailles, and 458km from my current home, We came here from Versailles along the Rue de la Paroisse, Bd du Roi, Bd Saint Antoine, Route de Saint Germain or D186 road same road Route de Versailles to connect with the A13 autoroute de Normandie dir Rouen bear right onto the A139 Rouen then N118 Rouen Sud then express lane N338 highway ,this is the outer beltway of Rouen continue to roundabout bear right onto the D1338 dir Elbeuf cross over the Seine river on the N1338 highway stay on right lane to enter the A150 highway to leave Rouen metro area continue dir Dieppe/Fécamp to bearing right exit/sortie Saint Valery en Caux to connect with the D929 road to roundabout bear all around it on 4th exit take dir Saint Valery en Caux on the D20 road or Route de Rouen continue thru City center Doudeville and continue on D20 now Route de Saint Valéry to entering town on Bd Carnot then bear right onto Rue des Corderies then bear right onto Rue Traversiére then sharp left onto Rue Jacques Argot and to Place de la Chapelle and the Chapel,

The town of Saint Valery en Caux is a small seaside resort equipped with a port,which is very nice indeed. We took our walks during our passing by the Place de la Chapelle, a great place to stop first to see the Chapel of Notre Dame du Bon Port, plenty of restaurants and parking there and across in the Place du Marché where the market is held,The most lively spot in town, me think.

In the heart of the town, the Chapelle Notre Dame du Bon Port boasts splendid stained-glass windows. It was built at the location of the former chapel that had been destroyed during the nazis occupation by General Rommel. Its sandstone foundation comes from Saint Léger chapel. A modern chapel with a trapezoidal plan. Built on a stone base, the walls are clad in slate and tiles on the main facade. These slates and tiles form the shape of a sailboat on its gable end. The entrance is marked by a wooden porch surmounted by a tall cross. On the apse side, the elevation features stained-glass windows and pillars.

The Chapelle Notre Dame du Bon Port was built in 1963, this chapel serves as the sailors’ chapel and is located near the port. Modern in design, its entrance features a stylized slate ship. It evokes the shape of an upturned ship, crowned by a vast slate roof on a sandstone base. Its interior is entirely made of wood, and the north side contains a large stained-glass window depicting the Virgin Mary in a marine setting. Five model ships stand above the altar: sailing vessels, merchant ships, fishing boats, and pleasure craft.

The two pleasure craft are: a sloop with a white, varnished hull, and a two-masted racing sailboat with a varnished, blue hull. The sailing vessels include: a caïque, a traditional boat from the Normandy coast; a schooner with a black and ochre-yellow hull, the “Saint-George”; and another two-masted ship, a square-rigged schooner with a black, white, and green hull, featuring a figurehead. At the entrance to the church, marble plaques commemorate the memory of sailors lost at sea.

Some of the other things to see in Saint Valery en Caux me think are the half-timbered house known as Henri IV, also called Maison Ladiré, the Parish Church of Saint-Valery-en-Caux, Its construction dates back to the 16C, and the Military cemetery of WWII, the lighthouse of Saint-Valery-en-Caux; and Camp Lucky Strike that were transit camps for American soldiers, upon their arrival in France or while waiting to be deported to the United States. The Port de Plaisance or Marina with 550 berths; It hosts about 500 boats now. Note the presence of fishing boats in the outer harbor which all year round sell most of their loot when they return to the stalls.

A bit of history I like tell us that the town appears for the first time in a document dating from 990, according to the charter in which Richard I, Duke of Normandy, grants part of his personal property to the Abbey of Fécamp, During the French revolution, the town was temporarily renamed Port-le-Pelletier. The city center was almost completely destroyed by bombing during the siege of the city, from June 10 to 12, 1940. Indeed, from June 10, the 7th Panzer Division led by Rommel pierced the positions of the 9th Corps as far as the Seine. General Ihler’s French army corps as well as Major-General Fortune’s 51st (Highland Scottish) Infantry Division, and isolated them , The Allied troops fell back to Saint-Valery-en-Caux, the last port of the pocket , After the battle which took place from June 10 to 12, 1940, Saint-Valery-en-Caux was nearly 70% destroyed , and was finally liberated by the Allies on September 11, 1944, After the war, French cities untouch by the war became sister cities to those destroyed to help in their restoration in an act of solidarity, Saint-Valery-en-Caux learns of the adoption on November 26.1942 by Aix-en-Provence, The official announcement and that of the first installment occurred during the municipal council of December 6, 1942. In order to be able to support its adopted city, Aix-en-Provence multiplied the actions, which made it possible to send several rescuers to Saint-Valery. On January 17 1945, following a failure of the braking system, a train carrying US Army soldiers fails to stop and crosses the terminal station of Saint-Valery. The toll is heavy: 89 American soldiers are killed and 152 are wounded. 

The city of Saint Valery en Caux on the marina: https://saintvaleryencaux.fr/port-de-plaisance/

The local Alabaster coast tourist office on the Saint Valery en Caux heritage: https://cotealbatre-normandytourism.co.uk/cultural-heritage/?ville=saint+valery+en+caux

The Seine Maritime dept 76 tourist office on Saint Valery en Caux : https://www.seine-maritime-tourisme.com/en/destination/coast-beaches/seaside-towns/saint-valery-en-caux/

The Normandie region tourist office on the chapel: https://www.normandie-tourisme.fr/sites-lieux-de-visites/chapelle-notre-dame-du-bon-port/

There you go folks, a wonderful road warrior tour of Saint Valery en Caux with beautiful architecture and history to merit another visit, eventually, Again, hope you enjoy this post on this is Saint Valery en Caux !!! as I.

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

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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