NOTRE DAME CHURCH
This Romanesque and Flamboyant Gothic church was built by Robert of Normandy.
Built by Robert I of Normandy (Robert the Magnificent and, more "legendarily, Robert the Devil), who inaugurated the building in 1077, probably in the presence of his son William (the Conqueror), it is in the Romanesque and Flamboyant Gothic styles, following a number of 14th-century extensions. However, it retains some of its original features. Above the front door is engraved a list of the 460 principal figures who accompanied Duke William on his conquest of England. It’s hard to read the names unless you’re helped by a connoisseur, who may take the opportunity to tell you the legend of Christ without a cross... Lovers of picturesque details will notice the micro-window known as the "leper hole", on the right at the back of the church, from which the unfortunate could see the services without contaminating the healthy congregation. Blocked in 1696 when the leper colony was closed, it was only rediscovered in 1974 by the parish priest. And for the record, if the angle of view seems peculiar, it’s because it was designed to direct the sick’s gaze in the direction of the miraculous Christ installed in the center of the church. Outside, other curiosities will surprise you: ex-votos under one of the porches, a leper hole that is rarely seen today. It was intended for sick people wishing to attend mass. Readers of Marcel Proust will recognize the church in Dives as the one in Balbec, described in the novel À la recherche du temps perdu. For the past 20 years, the church has been undergoing major restoration work.
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