Le Bec-Hellouin () 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

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, ...

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.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 and t ...

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 ...

. It is best known for

Bec Abbey Bec Abbey, formally the Abbey of Our Lady of Bec (french: Abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec), is a Benedictine monastic foundation in the Eure ''département'', in the Bec valley midway between the cities of Rouen and Bernay. It is located in Le Bec Hello ...

and has recently been voted one of the " most beautiful villages of France". The current mayor is Pascal Finet who replaced Jean-Paul Vittecoq in 2014.

History

was founded in 1034 by Herluin, who was a knight at the court of

Brionne Brionne () is a commune in the Eure department. Brionne is in the region of Normandy of northern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of oversea ...

and a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

. Near to the abbey, in the village, the church, dedicated to Saint-André, was built in 1039. The original church burned down in 1264. It was rebuilt but damaged during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

(1417). The nave and the bell tower were reconstructed in the 18th century. In 1791 the abbey was closed because of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

and the departing monks transferred many statues to the village church; even the tomb of Herluin was moved to the church in 1792. From 1792 to 1794 bells and valuable decorative objects were removed from the church and finally brought to Bernay. The windows of the church were destroyed during the bombing of Le Bec-Hellouin on 13 August 1944, in the course of

World War II 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 ...

. The new windows were made in 1959. The Benedictine monks returned in 1948 and the tomb of Herluin was moved back to the abbey in 1959. Normandie Eure Bec1

Etymology

Known as Beccensis Ecclesia in 1041 and in Beccus Herlevini 1160. The village takes its name from the Scandinavian word for creek mouth (bekkr). While Hellouin refers to Blessed Herluin, founder of the nearby abbey. whose name is of Germanic origin.François de Beaurepaire (préf. Marcel Baudot), Les Noms des communes et anciennes paroisses de l'Eure, (Paris, A. et J. Picard, 1981), p.221.

Notable people

Arnost Arnost was a medieval Bishop of Rochester. Arnost was a monk at Bec Abbey in Normandy France before being selected for the see of Rochester The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Prov ...

bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was foun ...

, England, 1076

Landmarks

Abbey of Bec-Hellouin Bec Abbey, formally the Abbey of Our Lady of Bec (french: Abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec), is a Benedictine monastic foundation in the Eure ''département'', in the Bec valley midway between the cities of Rouen and Bernay. It is located in Le Bec Hel ...

. *Monastery of Saint Francesca Romana *St. Andrew's Church *The village has a set of typical half-timbered houses, grouped around the Abbey Our Lady of Bec. File:Map commune FR insee code 27052.png, Map of Le Bec-Hellouin File:Mairie Le Bec-Hellouin.jpg, Town hall File:La villa de Le Bec-Hellouin en 2018.jpg, Rue du Quartier Burcy in the village of Le Bec-Hellouin File:Le_Bec-Hellouin_R06.jpg, Half-timbered houses File:Église Saint-André le Bec-Hellouin.jpg, Church of St Andrews File:Le_Bec-Hellouin_Eglise_StAndré_R01.jpg, Church of St Andrews from the east File:Eglise de l'abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec-DSC.jpg, Church in abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec File:AbbayeduBec-arbres.jpg, Bec Abbey File:Abbaye_Notre-Dame_du_Bec_R01.jpg, Bec Abbey File:Abbaye du Bec - Tour S Nicolas.jpg, West side of the Tour Saint-Nicolas, between the ancient pottery to its left and the monks' residential building to its right File:Abbaye du Bec-Hellouin - Pano façade sud.jpg, Southern façade of the abbey File:Abbaye du Bec-Hellouin - Le cloître.jpg, The cloister File:Abbaye du Bec-Hellouin - Bibliothèque.jpg, Bec Abbey Library

Population

External links

Official site

Site for Bec Abbey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bechellouin Communes of Eure Plus Beaux Villages de France