SAINT-PIERRE-SUR-DIVES ABBEY
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Superb Benedictine abbey with an exceptional ceramic pavement of the Pré-d’Auge, a jewel of Norman monastic architecture
The spires of this magnificent edifice, founded in the 11th century by Lesceline, William the Conqueror's great-aunt and Countess of Eu, can be seen in the distance. Devastated by a fire set by Henry I of England in 1106, nothing remains of the original Romanesque church, with the exception of a few elements at the crossing. Rebuilt in Gothic style, the abbey was severely damaged during the Hundred Years' War. In the 16th century, the edifice was once again rebuilt: the outer walls were reinforced with buttresses, and a new refectory was built, returning the abbey to its former splendor.
The ceramic pavement of the Pré-d'Auge, a jewel of 13th-century ornamentation and a rare example of the art of terracotta flooring, is a highlight. In the center of a three-meter-diameter rose window alternate motifs of fleur-de-lys and fantastical animals. Magnificent!
Like the town itself, the abbey was fortunately spared the disasters of the Second World War.
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