department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in the
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 France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Geography
A very small
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 people to ...
village, in the Durdent valley of the Pays de Caux, 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 cl ...
, at the junction of the D105 and D106 roads.
Population
Places of interest
* The church of St. Firmin, dating from the nineteenth century.
* A seventeenth-century chateau. The chateau was built in 1620 by Louis XIII on the site of a medieval chateau as a base for hunting. Louis XIII built the two fine Medici gates which still exist in honour of his mother Marie de Medici 575-1642 She was the wife of Henry IV and Queen of France. The Chateau was later Inhabited by the family Bigot who were involved in the parliament at Rouen. Over the years it has been a home, a medical centre and used by the German and United States armies in WW2. It has original ceilings and panelled dining room, an original kitchen with fireplace, an impressive staircase and cour d'honneur with fine tapestries. The chateau has been undergoing a full restoration by the current owner.
* The chapel of Notre-Dame. This is a small Chapel much revered by the community of Sommesnil who hold an annual service and procession between the chapel and the church of St Firmin. The chapel was originally owned by the château of Sommesnil but was donated by the present owner of the chateau to the community of Sommesnil.