commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inféri ...
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
region in northern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.
Geography
A
farming
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...
village in the
Pays de Caux
The Pays de Caux (, , literally ''Land of Caux'') is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French ''département'' of Seine Maritime in Normandy. It is a chalk plateau to the north of the Seine Estuary and extending to the cliffs o ...
, situated some northeast of
Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...
, at the junction of the D33 and D79 roads. The commune has a pebble beach and some very high
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
cliffs overlooking the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
.
History
Several polished stone axes were discovered here in the 19th century, evidence of human presence in the
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...
period (9000 to 3300 years BC). In 1970, archaeological excavations found
sarcophagi
A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...
of the
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...
period (500 to 750 AD).
In the 13th century, a church was built on the site of the old cemetery. At the same time, the chapel of Saint-Gervais was built on the plateau at Boulleville (near the present-day water tower). This was destroyed in a fire in the early 18th century.
In the early 19th century, the population of the valley began a slow migration inland and away from the sea. Fires and storms regularly destroyed the modest homes of the fishing families. The growth of fishing in Newfoundland also took sailors away from the village to spend 9 months at sea.
In 1846, the mayor (the Count de Trémauville) built the town hall and a boys’ school. Three years later, he demolished the old church and cemetery, citing the lack of maintenance and very poor condition and undertook the reconstruction of the church, saving only a part of the porch of the old building.
Forty years later, like many communes in the region, Saint-Pierre welcomed tourism by those wishing to spend their leisure time by the sea.
On the hillsides, where herds of grazing
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...
once roamed, second homes were springing up out of the land. This in turn led to the village developing, with more shops, handicrafts, agriculture, the revival of inshore fishing and some cultural events.
Around this time, in 1883, the Grand Hotel des Terrasses and the
casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
were built. They were destroyed in 1944 by the Germans.
Population
Places of interest
* The 19th-century church of St. Pierre, with a small part dating from the 13th century.