Notre Dame de Guibray Church

The church of the suburb of Guibray, situated outside the walls of Falaise and to the south, occupies the primitive site of a pagan sanctuary, transformed into a chapel, in the Merovingian period, before 650.

In c. 1000, a new church was built, and re-worked between the end of the 11th century and the end of the 12th century, on a Romanesque plan with a central nave, two side aisles and a short transept, at the instigation of the abbey of the Trinité in Caen. The church is a dependency of the abbey of Caen like all the churches of Falaise through a donation in 1066 by the lord of Falaise, Mézidon and Ecajeul. The unity of the building was significantly disrupted by numerous re-workings, from the 13th century, but the façade from the 12th century has been preserved as well as the chevet from the end of the 11th century, with its three apses on several floors, very like those in Saint-Nicolas in Caen. The choir, stripped of its neo-classical decoration in 1986 has had its Romanesque arcatures restored to it. Some interesting Romanesque capitals top the pillars of the transept, choir and its side aisles.

References:

• mondes-normands.caen.fr

Address

Allée Parizot 7, Falaise, France

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)