Verneuil-sur-Avre (, literally ''Verneuil on Avre'') is a former commune in the
Eure
Eure () is a department in Normandy in Northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2019, Eure had a population of 599,507.department in
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 ...
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 ...
Following the revolt of the nobles of 1118-1120, Verneuil-sur-Avre was founded in 1120 by
Henry I Henry I may refer to:
876–1366
* Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936)
* Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955)
* Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018)
* Henry I of France (1008–1060)
* Henry I the Long, Margrave of the N ...
, the fourth son of William the Conqueror. Some of the main rebels were Richer de l'Aigle, Robert de Neubourg and Eustace of Breteuil who all possessed territory in the surrounding area. Once these rebels submitted to Henry I, the fortifications in Verneuil-sur-Avre were intended to control the region.
In August 1424, during the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...
the
battle of Verneuil
The Battle of Verneuil was a battle of the Hundred Years' War, fought on 17 August 1424 near Verneuil-sur-Avre in Normandy between an English army and a combined Franco-Scottish force, augmented by Milanese heavy cavalry. The battle was a sig ...
was fought just to the north of the town. An English army of 9,000 men beat a joint Franco-Scottish army of 15,000 men and as a result gained control of Normandy and
Aquitaine
Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 Janu ...
and destroyed Scottish participation in the war. The town was recaptured in 1449.
Main sights
There are several landmarks in Verneuil-sur-Avre that are worthy of interest:
* the ' (St Mary Magdalene Church, built between the 12th and 16th centuries), which was labelled a “''
monument historique
''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a col ...
”'' (national heritage site) in 1862, has become the emblem of the city. Its tower is a well-known example of the late-gothic style (called Flamboyant Gothic Style, literally “flaming”). The tower culminates at 56 metres (approximately 61 yards), and is visible from the entire surrounding countryside and, in winter, from as far away as the
Chartres Cathedral
Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Roman Catholic church in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Mostly con ...
. This building has been compared to the '' Tour du Beurre'' (“Tower of Butter”) of the Rouen Cathedral and the lantern-tower of the '' Abbaye Saint-Ouen de Rouen'' (St
Ouen
Audoin (AD 609 – on 24 August 684; also spelled ''Audoen'', ''Ouen'', ''Owen''; la, Audoenus; known as Dado to contemporaries) was a Frankish bishop, courtier, hagiographer and saint.
Life
Audoin came from a wealthy aristocratic Frankish fam ...
Church), also in Rouen, despite being smaller. This tower is known to be one of the sources of inspiration for the ''
Tribune Tower
The Tribune Tower is a , 36-floor neo-Gothic skyscraper located at 435 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Built between 1923 and 1925, the international design competition for the tower became a historic event in 20th-ce ...
'' in Chicago, a 141-metre-high skyscraper built in 1925 (approximately 154 yards).
* the ''Eglise Notre-Dame'' (Notre-Dame Church, 12th-19th centuries)
* the ''Tour Grise'' (Grey Tower, 13th century) was erected by the French king
Philip Augustus
Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French m ...
. It was named for the stones used in its construction, which are brown and called “''grison''” (“gris” meaning “grey” in French).
* the ''Abbaye Saint-Nicolas'' (St Nicholas Abbey, 17th century)
* the ''Espace Saint-Laurent'' (St Lawrence Hall), a former church currently used as an exhibition hall
* the ruins of the ''Eglise Saint-Jean'' (St John Church), which was bombed during
WWII
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 opposin ...
, in 1944
* the building that currently houses the '' Jerôme Carcopino'' Municipal Library (15th century), named for an historian from Verneuil-sur-Avre. This building has been labelled a “''monument historique''”.
Besides these landmarks, Verneuil-sur-Avre has examples of regional architectural style and
half-timbered houses
Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timber ...
traditional to Normandy.
File:Verneuil-sur-Avre (27) Église de la Madeleine Tour.jpg, Tower of St Mary Magdalene Church
File:Verneuil sur Avre - Tour grise.jpg, Grey Tower
File:Verneuil-sur-Avre (27) Maison de la renaissance.jpg, Municipal Library building (15th century)
Demography
International relations
The town is twinned with
Stowmarket
Stowmarket ( ) is a market town in Suffolk, England,OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket
Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton A2 edition. Publishing Date:2008. on the busy A14 trunk road between Bury St Edm ...
,
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
.
See also
*
Communes of the Eure department
The following is a list of the 585 communes of the Eure department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):Perche
Perche () (French: ''le Perche'') is a former province of France, known historically for its forests and, for the past two centuries, for the Percheron draft horse breed. Until the French Revolution, Perche was bounded by four ancient territorie ...