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Asnelles () is a
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
Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Nor ...
department 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 geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
of north-western
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 ...
. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Asnellois'' or ''Asnelloises''.


Geography

Asnelles is located at the seaside some 13 km north-east of Bayeux and 10 west of
Courseulles-sur-Mer Courseulles-sur-Mer (, ), commonly known as ''Courseulles'', is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Until 1957, the town's name was simply ''Courseulles''. It lies 3 km west of Bernières-sur-Mer and 18&nbs ...
. Access to the commune is by the D514 road from Saint-Côme-de-Fresné in the west passing through the town and continuing to Ver-sur-Mer in the east. The D65 road from
Arromanches Arromanches-les-Bains (; or simply Arromanches) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of north-western France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arromanchais'' or ''Arromanchaises''. Geography Arromanches-le ...
to Meuvaines passes through the south of the commune. The D65A links the D514 to the D65. A large part of the commune is residential with the sea shore fully urban but some 50% of the commune is farmland.Google Maps
/ref> The Gronde river passes through the heart of the commune from south to north emptying into 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

Tradition says that
William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
, to escape his pursuers and after having taken refuge at the house of Baron Hubert de Ryes, regained his ducal castle by following small sunken pathways including one that now bears the name of ''Sente au Bâtard'' (Sente the Bastard). This footpath is difficult in places and it crosses the Gronde, bypassing part of the village, and leads to old farmhouses and old stone houses at
Creully Creully () is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Creully sur Seulles. The town square is named after Canadian Lieutenant Bill McCormi ...
. The name ''Asnelles'' (from the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''asinellas'' meaning "little donkeys") appears for the first time in an official document at the end of the 12th century when work began on the early church dedicated to St. Martin. At that time a market for donkeys stood in the field opposite the church near the public square "planître". The coastline was then a large swamp which often caused fevers: people would implore the protection of Saint Honorine in a small chapel built on the ruins of a
Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...
Villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...
which would be located near the modern cemetery. Until the end of the 17th century there was a small harbour at the mouth of the Gronde called Port Heurtault which had nearly 2,000 boat movements per year of boats involved in coastal shipping or
Cabotage Cabotage () is the transport of goods or passengers between two places in the same country. It originally applied to shipping along coastal routes, port to port, but now applies to aviation, railways, and road transport as well. Cabotage rights ar ...
. The port was silted up by a storm, so that the ''Amirauté Court'' or Maritime Court, which was created in 1554 at Asnelles, was transferred to Bayeux. During the 18th century, Asnelles was the seat of a ''Captainerie'' (Official residence of the officer of the port) and a coastal militia was responsible for monitoring the sea and reporting the approach of any English ship. In the middle of the 19th century the village underwent major changes. Under the leadership of the Mayor, Dr. Théodore Labbey, significant work was undertaken including: the draining of marshes, the construction of a Levee, and many large houses - some of which remain today. Asnelles becomes ''Asnelles-la-Belle-Plage'', a name given by many swimmers at the beach which took the appearance of a "small Trouville", according to the newspapers of the time, with its casino and its up-market hotels. The
beach resort A seaside resort is a resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, suc ...
was served by the Chemins de fer du Calvados (Railways of Calvados) from 1899 to 1932. The construction of a Preventorium for children with
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...
who had a parent working at the SNCF was imposed on the commune in 1926. Until the eve of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
it accommodated more than 1,500 boys and girls. On D-Day 6 June 1944, British soldiers landed at Asnelles: the 231st Infantry Brigade was commanded by General Sir Alexander Stanier. The
Dorset Regiment The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets". In 1 ...
, which made landfall at 7:25am, was the first British regiment to set foot in Normandy. They were followed by the
Devonshire Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, ...
and
Hampshire regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The regim ...
s, as well as the 47th Commando of Royal Marines. The village was liberated in the afternoon with heavy losses mainly due to a 77 mm cannon which covered all the beach on the eastern side. On 10 June the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) "ALG B-1" was operational at Asnelles-sur-Mer off Gold Beach, the first Allied airfield on the continent, operating Supermarine Spitfires. Immediately after the landing the construction of the Mulberry harbour at
Arromanches Arromanches-les-Bains (; or simply Arromanches) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of north-western France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arromanchais'' or ''Arromanchaises''. Geography Arromanches-le ...
began of which the eastern part was at Asnelles consisting of the Phoenix caissons which enclosed the port on the eastern side starting from the commune beach. The spokesman of
General de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
, who was one of the "Voices of France",
Maurice Schumann Maurice Schumann (; 10 April 1911 – 9 February 1998) was a French politician, journalist, writer, and hero of the Second World War who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Georges Pompidou from 22 June 1969 to 15 March 1973. Schumann w ...
also landed at Asnelles. He now is buried in the nearby cemetery of Calvary. The village recovered slowly from the D-Day operations: many large houses were severely damaged or destroyed: the Levee and the holds suffered greatly and many roads had to be rebuilt. There were however no civilian casualties reported. Today, economic activity in Asnelles is mainly tourism with many second homes, camping, a leisure park, cottages, and family homes.


Heraldry


Administration

List of Successive Mayors The municipal council is composed of 15 members with 4 deputy mayors.


Twinning

Asnelles has twinning associations with: *
Charmouth Charmouth is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England. The village is situated on the mouth of the River Char, around north-east of Lyme Regis. Dorset County Council estimated that in 2013 the population of the civil parish was 1,31 ...
(United Kingdom) since 1985.


Demography

In 2017 the commune had 595 inhabitants.


Economy

Asnelles is a
beach resort A seaside resort is a resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, suc ...
located on the ''Côte de Nacre''. It has a beautiful sandy beach which is adjacent to the Arromanches beach. It also has a land sailing club. Asnelle is located on the ''Circuit of the landing beaches in Normandy''. The commune has created a hiking trail called ''La Sente au Bâtard'' in honour of
William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
.


Culture and heritage


Civil heritage

Asnelles has many buildings and structures that are classified as historical monuments as well as other points of interest that are not registered. They are: *Farmhouse at 19 Rue de la Cavée (1782) *
Lavoir A lavoir (wash-house) is a public place set aside for the washing of clothes. Communal washing places were common in Europe until industrial washing was introduced, and this process in turn was replaced by domestic washing machines and by laun ...
(Public laundry) at Rue du Débarquement (19th century) *Chateau at 1 Rue du Débarquement (18th century) *Maison le Mesnil at 2 Rue du Débarquement (18th century) *House at 12-14 Rue de l'Eglise (17th century) *Farmhouse at 36 Rue de l'Eglise (19th century) *Abri Sainte-Thérèse House at 8 Rue de l'Eglise (19th century) *House at 12 Rue du Front de Mar (1945) *Villa Cosson (Les Tourelles) at 15 Route de la Libération (19th century) *Villa Neptune at 17 Route de la Libération (19th century) *Villa les Tamaris (Centre Fernand Leconte) at 21 Route de la Libération (19th century) *Villa Carrée at 23 Route de la Libération (1874) *Stone Bridge at Rue Paul Hélaine (1846) *House at 2 Rue des Pérelles (19th century) *Fire Station at Rue de Southampton (1873) *Commerce House at 17 Rue de Southampton (19th century) *Château d'Asnelles at 42 Rue de Southampton (19th century) *House at 53 Rue de Southampton (1958) *Beach defence battery (1942) *Tithe Barn (14th century) *Town Hall, Post Office, and Primary School (19th century) *Village (12th-19th centuries) *Houses and Hotels (16th - 20th century) * Phoenix Caissons (offshore), were used for building Levees and jetties for the Mulberry harbour after the landings and for Bunkers on the coast. *Sente au Bâtard (walking path) (
William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
passed there according to legend). *The Biscuit Factory famous for their ''Shortbread of Asnelles'' *La Gronde river * Seaweed beach File:Lavoir Asnelles Calvados.JPG, The
Lavoir A lavoir (wash-house) is a public place set aside for the washing of clothes. Communal washing places were common in Europe until industrial washing was introduced, and this process in turn was replaced by domestic washing machines and by laun ...
(Public laundry) File:Asnelles, Villa Neptune.JPG, Villa Neptune File:Pont Asnelles.JPG, The Stone Bridge File:Asnelles, remise de pompe à incendie.JPG, The Fire Station File:Asnelles, batterie.JPG, The Beach defence battery File:Asnelles, grange aux dîmes, façade ouest.JPG, The tithe barn File:La biscuiterie d'Asnelles.JPG, The Biscuit Factory


Religious heritage

A number of religious buildings and structures have been registered as historical monuments. These are: *Presbytery (18th century) *Monumental Cross at Rue de Southampton (19th century) *Parish Church of Saint-Martin (12th century) The Church of Saint Martin contains many items which are registered as historical objects. These are: *A
Chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern ...
(ornamented in gold) (19th century) *2
Cope The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour. A c ...
s (ornamented in rose) (19th century) *A Cope (ornamented in rose) (19th century) *A Cope (ornamented in violet) (19th century) *2
Candlestick A candlestick is a device used to hold a candle in place. Candlesticks have a cup or a spike ("pricket") or both to keep the candle in place. Candlesticks are less frequently called "candleholders". Before the proliferation of electricity, candl ...
s (torches) (18th & 19th centuries) *2 Candelabra (19th century) *A Candlestick (torch) (19th century) *A Ciborium for the sick (19th & 20th centuries) *2 Ciboriums (19th & 20th centuries) *A Ciborium (19th century) *A
Paten A paten or diskos is a small plate, used during the Mass. It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Western liturgical denominations, the p ...
(19th century) *4
Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
Candlesticks (19th century) *3
Chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...
s with patens (19th century) *A Chalice with paten (19th century) *A Chalice with paten (19th century) *A Chalice (19th century) *A Statue: Saint Pierre (19th century) *A Statue: Notre-Dame des flots (17th century) *2 Altars,
Retable A retable is a structure or element placed either on or immediately behind and above the altar or communion table of a church. At the minimum it may be a simple shelf for candles behind an altar, but it can also be a large and elaborate structur ...
s, and Tabernacles (Secondary Altars) (19th century) *A Painting: Annunciation (18th century) *A Retable (18th century) *The Main Altar with Retable (17th & 19th centuries) *A Stained glass window (20th century) *A Stained glass window: Notre-Dame des flots (1931) *A
Hagiographic A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...
Stained glass window: Charity of Saint Martin (19th century) *A Figurative Stained glass window: Bon Pasteur (19th century) *7
Allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...
Stained glass windows (20th century) *The Furniture in the Church of Saint-MartinMinistry of Culture, Palissy File:Asnelles, ancien presbytère.JPG, The Presbytery File:Le calvaire d'Asnelles.JPG, The Monumental cross File:FranceNormandieAsnellesEglise.jpg, The Church of Saint-Martin File:Asnelles (14) Façade nord dela nef de l'église.JPG, North side of the Church File:Asnelles, appareil en arête-de-poisson, façade sud de l'église.JPG, South side of the Church File:Asnelles, croix de cimetière.JPG, A Cross in the church cemetery


Events

The Festival of the Sea takes place on 15 August every two years in odd years.


Notable people linked to the commune

*
Maurice Schumann Maurice Schumann (; 10 April 1911 – 9 February 1998) was a French politician, journalist, writer, and hero of the Second World War who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Georges Pompidou from 22 June 1969 to 15 March 1973. Schumann w ...
(1911-1998), Companion of the Liberation, politician and journalist, is buried in the new municipal cemetery of Asnelles. *Théodore Labbey (1804-1873), Mayor of Asnelles under the
French Second Empire The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the Second and the Third Republic of France. Historians in the 1930s a ...
and author of the first book on the history of the commune: ''Asnelles, paintings and memories'', 1865. *Chigouesnel, magistrate, author of the monumental ''New History of Bayeux'', 1867. *Jean Elivaire (1824 at Courseulles to 1862 at Courseulles), architect of some resort villas in the Côte de Nacre, a hotel on the street on the waterfront


Bibliography

* Labbey (Théodore), ''Asnelles, paintings and memories'', Typographie Saint-Ange Duvant, Bayeux, 1865. * Chanterenne (H. de), ''Analysis of old parish registers - Asnelles-sur-mer'', Meuvaines, Henri Delesques, Caen, 1912. * Pouchain (Gérard), ''Asnelles and its history'', photography by Pierre Touraine, Imprimerie La Renaissance du Bessin, Bayeux, 1973. * Pouchain (Gérard), ''Asnelles-la-Belle-Plage in postcards'', Imprimerie Lebrun, Caen, 1979. * Pouchain (Gérard), ''Asnelles-sur-Mer'', preface by Alain Garnavault and Gilbert Rameaux, photography by Pierre Touraine, La Renaissance du Bessin, Bayeux, 1990. * Ducouret (Bernard), ''Villas of Arromanches-les-Bains, Asnelles, Tracy-sur-Mer, Ver-sur-Mer, Itineraries of heritage'', 1993. * Pouchain (Gérard), ''Asnelles-la-Belle-Plage and its surroundings'', preface by Frédéric Gavard, Éditions Charles Corlet, Condé-sur-Noireau, 1997. * Le Bessin, ''Churches of the heart, "Saint-Martin d'Asnelles"'', A.D.T.L.B., 1997. * Pouchain (Gérard), ''The Church of Saint-Martin of Asnelles'', preface by Monseigneur Pierre Pican, Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux, Éditions Charles Corlet, Condé-sur-Noireau, 1999. * Pouchain (Gérard), ''Sea bathing and thermalism in Normandy, Birth of sea bathing at Asnelles'', Acts of the 36th congress of Historical and Archaeological societies of Normandy, Annales de Normandie, Caen, 2002. * Saunders (Tim), ''Gold beach - Jig, Jig sector and west - June 1944'', Leo Cooper, 2002. * Pouchain (Gérard), ''100 Postcards of Asnelles during the Belle Époque'', Éditions Charles Corlet, Condé-sur-Noireau, 2003. * Hargrove (Charles), ''Asnelles, 6 June 1944'', preface by Admiral Brac de La Perrière, Collection Histoires normandes, Esther Flon Éditions, Lisieux, 2004. * Benamou (Jean-Pierre), ''Gold beach'', Collection Memory 1944, OREP Éditions, 2004. * Trew (Simon), ''Gold beach'', Sutton publishing, 2004. * Cormier (Antoine) and Vermont (Bertrand), ''It was then a town by the sea'', Les Sablés d'Asnelles, Les Tourelles, 2004. * Meigh (Harry J), ''My memories of the campaign in Normandy, June 1944'', (s.n.), (s.d.). * Pouchain (Gérard), ''Asnelles in the Press (1808-1873)'', 2005; ''Asnelles in the Press (1874-1892)'', 2006; ''Asnelles in the Press (1893-1901)'', 2007, La Renaissance du Bessin, Bayeux, ''Asnelles in the Press (1902-1921)'', 2008; ''Asnelles in the Press (1922-1937)'', 2009; ''Asnelles in the Press (1938-1957)'', Diamen, Bayeux. * Pouchain (Gérard), ''Asnelles the beautiful beach (1894-1896)'', photography by Philibert Bonvillain, Diamen, Bayeux, 2008. * Pouchain (Gérard), ''The Marcia C. Day, es Tamaris, Les Tourelles, Les Sablés d'Asnelles', Diamen, Bayeux, 2008. * Pouchain (Gérard), ''6 June 1944, Asnelles - Le Hamel, (Les Tamaris, Les Tourelles, Les Sablés d'Asnelles)'', Diamen, Bayeux, 2010. * Pouchain (Gérard), ''Maurice Schumann - Asnelles and Bayeux, places of Liberty and Fidelity (6 June 1944 – 13 February 1998)'', 2011, Diamen, Bayeux. * ''Le Trait d'union'' (Parish journal), 1932-1937 and 1948-1958. * ''La Belle Plage'' (School journal), 1949-1964. * ''Asnelles Informations'' (Municipal journal), 1983-1993. * ''Asnelles Infos'' (Municipal journal), 1995-2000. * ''Asnelles Nouvelles'' (Municipal journal), depuis 2001. * La Renaissance Le Bessin - Côte de Nacre, ''Asnelles à la loupe'', 2 August 2005. * Ducouret (Bernard) and Perrein (Christian), ''Topographic Inventory of Asnelles'', Base Mérimée (Ministry of Culture website), 1990.


See also

* Communes of the Calvados department


External links


Asnelles on the Community of communes website



Tourist Office of AsnellesAsnelles on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Asnelles'' on the 1750 Cassini Map


References

{{authority control Communes of Calvados (department)