Our French Adventure - Caen

 Frustratingly for me, I hadn't done much research on Caen, I'd been more focussed on our trip to Bayeux the next day. So I'd only given it the afternoon we arrived to explore. I wish I'd dedicated a full day to Caen, there was a lot more to see and do there. So apologies to the city of Caen, but I will return again to explore properly!

Caen has this fantastic classical/baroque feel to it, everywhere you go there is beautiful buildings with impressive facades, all clad in Caen stone, that I think is world famous. Only the other day I was at Bodiam & Camber castles, and both have information boards that explained the stone came from Caen. (I'll post about them eventually, don't worry!). It's a beautiful sandy colour, and it seems to always shine, no matter what the weather.

This was the beautiful chapel at the end of the Place de la Republique, although it was closed while we were there. I just loved the curved edges and the pillars.

And this was the roundabout with the courthouse and these beautiful apartment buildings opposite. Note how the stones looks bright, even in the drizzle!

And just behind the apartments, you can see the spires of the Abbaye aux Hommes, or the Mens Abbey for us non French speakers. (Oui, my Français is c'est basique)

The view of the end of the Abbey, with it's beautiful curves and intricate windows.

On the outside, the Abbey is warm and Romanesque in style, but inside it's cold and with a formal Romanesque with Gothic touches to it. The light coming in adds to the feeling of cold mystery, and the different patches of light on the ribbed ceiling makes the nave feel even longer than it is. 

There's also some beautiful examples of stained glass in the little chapels to the side, including this fascinating one flanking the altar with the Virgin Mary stood atop it. You have to admire Mary for her talent, managing to convince everyone that it was a divine pregnancy. You have to wonder what Joseph thought about it all. Whether he was ok with the thought of her being impregnated by a god, or whether he was actually very angry about it all. Perhaps that's why he disappears from the bible during Jesus's childhood, perhaps he got sick of the lies and decided to leave Mary for someone a little less economic with the truth. Just a theory! 

The main entrance to the abbey looks very different to the rest of it, with this very stripped back, almost bare Romanesque frontage. The abbey is very charming though, and well worth a visit while you are there. Their website mentions exhibitions, although we didn't see any, and the cloisters were closed, so we were let in for free. I think normally there is a four euro entry cost to enter.

The area around the abbey is beautiful, there is a large almost chateau like building that comes off it, as well as a lovely little garden that sits next to it.

We then crossed the road and had a little look at the ruined Old St Stephens Church. We thought it had been bombed in the war and had been left as a ruin, and we were somewhat correct. The church had actually been used very little, and in 1802 was only being used for occasional services as a parish church. It had been badly damaged in the hundred years war previously, but had been restored.

However years of lack of maintenance and care meant that in 1844 the church was closed due to the state of decay. Knowing what our ancestors thought about health and safety, it must have really been dangerous for them to close it. It sat quietly crumbling, until 1944, when a shell that had been aimed at German tanks exploded in the nave, causing considerable damage and leaving the nave the shell you see today. There's no plans as far as I could find for any conservation work or repairs, and so the church continues to sit and crumble quietly, which I think is a real shame.

Caen is known as the city of a thousand churches, and it really does live up to it's title! We walked back towards the centre, and came across the curious Church of Saint-Sauveur de Caen. It's one of those churches that makes you want to ask questions. (in a good way, about the building, not about the evils of religion). It's the most funny shaped and interesting church I think I've ever seen, with an eclectic mix of styles, shapes and building work. I left with more questions than answers!

This is the beautifully detailed frontage, mixing the medieval sculpture with these more modern looking circles and rhombus carvings.

You then see the side of the building, with this curious modern hut built onto the side of the church that you enter, along with the carousel (I'm too big for apparently) and the ornate tower

And this is inside. Curiously, the church has two naves, and the giant arch was put in to connect them. The church feels both very open and very closed off at the same time, and you struggle to get a good sightline through the building where the arches and openings don't match up.

A rather unusual feature is the barrel ceiling made of wood, which is something you don't see very often in churches, as the wood often makes the church darker and alters the acoustics.  I think I've only ever seen a handful of churches with this sort of ceiling, although most of the others had painted the wood.

Here was a selection of bells from the church, they were enormous, and with prayers & inscriptions carved into them.

Something to talk about is the stained glass. During the second world war, most of the windows of the church were damaged, and new ones needed to be made. This particular window was made up of the broken pieces that were salvaged, and was made into this curious smattering of colour and shapes. It just, didn't fit in. It didn't really add anything to the church, and while I appreciate the use of the broken glass to remake something, it just felt like a wasted opportunity. Perhaps a story could have been made with the glass? A scene of the church being rebuilt, or an image for the bible. It just felt out of place, and I was a little disappointed by it. Hark at me, I sound like some sort of stained glass connoisseur! I remember seeing something similar in Wells Cathedral with the broken glass, it was arranged in a similar sort of fashion, but had an artistic and almost childlike quality to it, and so was very interesting to look at it. This window I glanced at and I felt nothing looking at it. Working with stained glass is a very time consuming & requires a lot of skill, and when you see a stained glass window, you appreciate the time and effort put into it. But this one just felt lazy and uninspired. Apologies to whoever worked on it, I don't mean to offend you or insult your skills. I just feel something better could have been done with it. Like the next ones I'm going to show you.

This set of windows blew my mind. The incredible colours, the modern shapes, design and concept, while keeping the traditional story & technique of the window making. This was fabulous. I stared at this for ages, until James nudged me to keep moving. The stunning colours and the contrast between the blood red and the calming blue really bring the scenes to life. It just works so well, and this is a masterclass in modern stained glass window making. For me, this was the highlight of the church.

The view from one nave to another, with the window perfectly framed by the arch. At other points in the church, solid walls block your vision and make you feel a little lost in this small church. It's a very interesting place to visit, it has this feeling of almost being unfinished if that makes sense. But it was free to enter, and it's worth going just to see the stained glass.

Our final church of the day (can you believe it, four religious buildings in one day, and yet there was still more to see!) was the St Peter's Catholic Church (or Eglise de Saint-Pierre de Caen if you're feeling French & fruity) was the largest of the churches we saw, and it commands your attention. Situated at the end of the Rue Saint Pierre, which is a semi pedestrianised street that runs from the Abbaye aux Hommes, past the other two churches and leads you to the base of the castle. St Peters has a magnificent bell tower, with a beautiful light and ornate detail to it .

I love the mini spires that continue to lead your eye up the the roof of the spire with it's charming little roof pattern that really adds a nicely contrasting texture when compared to the rest of the tower. The spire is a faithful recreation, the original was destroyed in the second world war when a British vessel fired a shell at the Germans which tragically struck the church instead, reducing it to rubble. The Battle for Caen caused considerable damage to the city, more so than most other places in France, and much of the city pre war was destroyed, with entire chunks of the historical city centre now missing and replaced by modern buildings. 

Inside the church, these is some delightful stonework and art, as well as a beautifully carved ceiling.

Contrasting with the church of Abbaye aux Hommes, St Pierre is very warm and welcoming, and was lovely to walk around, especially as we were the only people there! Nothing like having a church to ourselves! 

Opposite the church is the castle, or Caen Chateau as it's officially known, I would have loved to have a look inside, but it had already closed. I've made up my mind though, we are going to return to Caen and finish exploring. It just feels like there is never enough time when you're on holiday. Perhaps I should just win the lottery and travel forever. I think that would be a great idea. Any ideas of the winning numbers this week?

I got this lovely shot of the church from the steps of the castle, before we headed back towards the hotel for some dinner and an early night. It's very tiring exploring so many churches! But I was very excited, because tomorrow, we were going to visit Bayeux and the Tapestry. I couldn't wait!