What to do and see in Basse-Normandie, Normandy: The Best Architectural Buildings

The Benedictine Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel is one of the most remarkable examples of mediaeval religious and military architecture and was one of Christianity's most important pilgrimage sites from the 8th to the 18th century.The Abbey comprises a superb ensemble of clerical buildings including the abbey church, the cloister, the refectory, the monks' ambulatory and the gardens of what has been known as the ""Merveille"" (Marvel) since the 12th century. In summer, the Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel is best seen in all its splendour after sunset during the special “sons et lumières"" shows. Designated world heritage site by UNESCO. Open: > 2nd May to 31st August: from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. > 1st September to 30th April: from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Last admission 1 hr before closing time. Closed: > 1st January, 1st May and 25 December. Admission fees: Adults : 9€; Concessions (18 to 25) = 5,50 €; Free admission: minors under 18*; Free admission: 18-25 years old* (citizens of one of the 27 countries of the EU or are non-European permanent residents of France) * excluding school groups

The cathedral of Notre-Dame in Bayeux is an impressive building, a mix of Romanesque in the 11th century crypt and glorious Gothic in the 13th-century nave. In the 11th century after the Conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy in 1066, ties with England were strong. You'll see a reference to the turbulent past above the south transept portal where sculpted scenes show the life of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury who was assassinated in Canterbury Cathedral on the orders of King Henry II of England. The Bayeux Tapestry was kept here from the 11th to the 18th centuries, probably displayed for the first time on the day the cathedral was consecrated in 1077 in the presence of William the Conqueror.

The Château de Carrouges remained in the ownership of a single family from its construction until 1936. Steeped in history, it features a superb collection of furniture from the Renaissance to the early 19th century and has retained all the charms of a family residence with portraits of the successive generations of the Le Veneur family. Carrouges is remarkable for its long, pale brick walls, steep slate roofs and granite window and door frames. It stands in 10 hectares of carefully tended grounds with gardens, flowering borders and impeccable terraces. Open: > 1st April to 15th June and 1st to 30th September: from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. > 16th June to 31st August: from 9.30 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. > 1st October to 31st March: from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Last admission 1 hr before closing time. Closed: > 1st January, 1st May, 1st November, 11th November and 25th December. Admission fees: Adults : 7,50 €; Concessions (18 to 25) = 4,50 €; Free admission: minors under 18*; Free admission: 18-25 years old* (citizens of one of the 27 countries of the EU or are non-European permanent residents of France) * excluding school groups

la chiesa di Saint-julien e una chiesa abbastanza recente 3 luglio 1924. realizzata da un archietto Parigino Albert Guilbert (1866-1949), contemporain d'Auguste Perret. la chiesa e in stile neo-bizantino, piena cioe di mosaici, le decorazioni sono state realizzate da Gaudin. Sul l'abside centrale troneggia l'immagine di Cristo pantocratore.