Saint-Lô (, ; ) is a commune in northwest France, the capital of the

Manche Manche (, ; Norman language, Norman: ) is a coastal Departments of France, French ''département'' in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy on the English Channel, which is known as , literally "the sleeve", in French. Manche is bordered by ...

department in the region of

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

.Commune de Saint-Lô (50502)
INSEE Although it is the second largest city of Manche after

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

, it remains the

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

of the department. It is also

chef-lieu An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

of an

arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, and certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissem ...

and two

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, th ...

( Saint-Lô-1 and Saint-Lô-2). The placename derives from that of a local saint, Laud of Coutances. The commune has 18,931 inhabitantsMunicipal population 2012. who are called Saint-Lois(es). The names of Laudois(es), Laudien(ne)s or Laudinien(ne)s are also cited. A martyr city of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Saint-Lô was decorated with the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

in 1948 and was given the nickname "Capital of the Ruins", a phrase popularised by

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

Geography

Location

Saint-Lô is in the centre of

, in the middle of the Saint-Lois

bocage Bocage (, ) is a terrain of mixed woodland and pasture characteristic of parts of northern France, southern England, Ireland, the Netherlands, northern Spain and northern Germany, in regions where pastoral farming is the dominant land use. ' ...

, west of

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

, south of

and north of

Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...

. The city was born under the name of ''Briovera'' on a rocky outcrop of

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

belonging to the

Armorican Massif The Armorican Massif (, ) is a geologic massif that covers a large area in the northwest of France, including Brittany, the western part of Normandy and the Pays de la Loire. It is important because it is connected to Dover on the British side o ...

, in the

Cotentin Peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its west lie the Gu ...

, between the confluences of the Vire – which dominates the city centre – with the Dollée and Torteron, two rivers channelled in their urban sections. This historic heart of the city became ''L'Enclos'', a site well suited to passive defence. The east of the territory is the former commune of Sainte-Croix-de-Saint-Lô, south of Saint-Thomas-de-Saint-Lô, absorbed in 1964.

Climate

Saint-Lô has a mild

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

characterised by mild winters and temperate summers. It has an average annual rainfall of per year. Rainfall is quite frequent throughout the year but most abundant in autumn and winter, in connection with the disturbances coming from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. Rarely intense, they often fall in the form of

drizzle Drizzle is a light precipitation which consists of liquid water drops that are smaller than those of rain – generally smaller than in diameter. Drizzle is normally produced by low stratiform clouds and stratocumulus clouds. Precipitation r ...

. The average temperature is . In winter, the average temperature ranges between . There are between 30 and 40 days of frost per year. In summer, the average temperature lies around .

Transport

Saint-Lô is located in the centre of the department of Manche and is therefore a node of communication between Nord-Cotentin and southern Manche.

Road

Saint-Lô lies halfway along the Coutances–

Bayeux Bayeux (, ; ) is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France. Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It is also known as the fir ...

axis (). A bypass road was commissioned in the 1980s to allow the decongestion of the city from the south. To open up the port of

, the region and the department decided the construction of a dual carriageway, . It is a part of the European route E03 and enables direct connection to

and Europe from the south, through the interchange at Guilberville. The southern section now connects Saint-Lô directly to the A84 autoroute, allowing motorway access to

and Rennes. The commissioning of the northern section, which is currently under construction, will meanwhile allow access to Cherbourg and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

via the

Route nationale 13 The N13 is a trunk road (route nationale) in France between Paris and Cherbourg. Route Paris to Évreux, km 0 to km 91 The road begins at Porte Maillot, one of former gates in western Paris, in direct alignment with the Champs-Élysées. Continu ...

. The construction of the dual carriageway allowed the extension of the small South ring road heading west and its mutation into genuine urban bypass. It has also enabled the creation and expansion of new business zones which contribute strongly to the current growth of the agglomeration.

Rail

The Gare de Saint-Lô is served by TER trains on the . It is in the majority of services for travellers in the direction of Caen via Lison or in the direction of Coutances. A few trains, two daily return trips, serve as far as

via

Avranches Avranches (; ) is a commune in the Manche department, and the region of Normandy, northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called ''Avranchinais''. History Middle Ages By the end of the Roman period, th ...

. Following the electrification of the section of railway between Lison and Saint-Lô during 2006, the

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...

and local communities experienced a direct

Intercités Intercités (IC), known before September 2009 as ''Corail Intercités'', is a brand name used by France's national railway company, the SNCF, to denote non High-speed rail in France, high-speed services on the classic rail network in France. The ...

service (without change of train) to the

Gare Saint-Lazare The Gare Saint-Lazare (; ), officially Paris Saint Lazare, is one of the seven large mainline List of Paris railway stations, railway station terminals in Paris, France. It was the first railway station built in Paris, opening in 1837. It mostly ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

for two years, between December 2008 and December 2010. This service was not sustained due to a lack of sufficient number of passengers. There is also the disused former industrial line to

Condé-sur-Vire Condé-sur-Vire (, literally ''Condé on Vire'') is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune of Le Mesnil-Raoult was merged into Condé-sur-Vire. On 1 January 2017, the forme ...

. The section between Gourfaleur and Condé-sur-Vire, adjacent to the towpath along the Vire, is used by the '' Vélorail'' ail cycleof the Vire valley since 2007.

Urban transport network

Urban transportation is provided by the ''Transports Urbains Saint-Lô Agglomération'': TUSA (formerly ''Transport Urbains Saint-Lô Agneaux''), was created in 1980. In 2010, the network consisted of four lines (Odyssée, Azur, Horizon and Alizé) with 15 buses and one Ocitolà transport on demand minibus. However, since 3 January 2011, it is composed of three lines (1, 2 and 3) still with 15 buses and one Ocitolà transport on demand minibus. In 2008, the company recorded more than 850,000 journeys. On 15 May 2013, seven new vehicles were integrated with the fleet, namely five Cytios 4/44, and two Mercedes-Benz Citaro K BHNS. The total fleet is composed of a

Renault Master The Renault Master is a large van produced by the French manufacturer Renault since 1980, now in its third generation. It replaced the earlier Renault Super Goélette light trucks. Opel has sold versions of the second and third series vans as ...

B.20 (for the Ocitolà transport on demand), 5 Vehixel Cytios 4/44, 2 Mercedes-Benz Citaro K BHNS, two , five , and a . A new vehicle wrapping campaign is underway, the yellow livery will disappear in favour of a red livery. Added to this, a campaign of improving vehicle facilities, to meet the new standards of accessibility of public transit, including on-board announcements and scrolling banners. The old Renault PR 100.2 (nos. 97205, 97207 to 97210) and (nos. 97211 and 97212) were scrapped.

Intercity transport network

The commune is associated with the departmental public buses () by the lines: * 001 :

Cherbourg-Octeville Cherbourg-Octeville () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.Valognes –

Carentan Carentan () is a small rural town near the north-eastern base of the French Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy in north-western France, with a population of about 6,000. It is a former commune in the Manche department. On 1 January 2016, it was m ...

– Saint-Lô * 002 : Coutances – Marigny – Saint-Lô * 109 : Saint-Lô – Periers * 113 : Villedieu-les-Poêles – Saint-Lô * 117 : Guilberville – Torigni – Saint-Lô * 303 : Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët – Vire – Saint-Lô – Lison * 304 : Brécey – Villedieu-les-Poêles – Saint-Lô – Lison

Air and river transport

Despite its status of prefecture, there is no airfield in the vicinity of the town. The nearest is that of

Lessay Lessay () is a Communes of France, commune in the Manche Departments of France, department in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune of Angoville-sur-Ay was merged into Lessay. Geography Lessay is a small town in the centre o ...

, and for an airport, to join that of Caen-Carpiquet, Cherbourg-Maupertus or Rennes – Saint-Jacques. Inland waterway transport on the Vire once existed with

scow A scow is a smaller type of barge. Some scows are rigged as sailboat, sailing scows. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scows carried cargo in coastal waters and inland waterways, having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small ha ...

s ensuring the transport of . It is no longer possible, due to lack of maintenance of the various equipment and the Vire.

History

Saint-Lô has long been an important centre of the economy of Normandy. It has attracted the covetousness of neighboring nations, including

, resulting in many successive invasions. It lost its dominant position towards the end of the 19th century because it failed to take advantage of the first

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

, which instead affected much of the predominantly peasant population. However, the decentralisation policy allowed the city to return to the foreground.

Briovère

Originally called Briovera (meaning "Bridge on the

Vire River The Vire () is a river in Normandy, France whose course crosses the ''departments of France, départements'' of Calvados (department), Calvados and Manche, flowing through the towns of Vire, Saint-Lô and Isigny-sur-Mer, finally flowing out into ...

" in

Gaulish Gaulish is an extinct Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, ...

) (often written in French as Briovère), the town is built on and around ramparts. The town started life as a Gallic fortified settlement, occupied by the tribe of the

Unelli The Venellī or Unellī (Gaulish: *''Uenellī/Wenellī'') were a Gallic tribe dwelling on the Cotentin peninsula, in the northwest of modern Normandy, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. In 57 BC, they capitulated to Caesar's legate Publiu ...

of Cotentin. Briovere was conquered by the Romans led by

Quintus Titurius Sabinus Quintus Titurius Sabinus (, ; died 54 BC) was one of Caesar's legates during the Gallic Wars. He is first mentioned in Caesar's campaign against the Remi, in 57 BC. In 56 BC, he was sent by Caesar with three legions against the Venelli, Curios ...

in 56 BC, after the defeat of their leader

Viridovix Viridovix was the chief of Unelli, a Gallic tribe which faced the legions of Julius Caesar at the time of the Roman conquest of Gaul, between 58 and 51 BC. He assumed the command of a Gallic army of Lexovii and Aulerci Eburovices against th ...

at . Roman peace led the development of Gallo-Roman rural areas, on the model of the Roman '' villae rusticae'' as in Canisy, Marigny and Tessy-sur-Vire, whose names are based on the suffix ''-i'', of location of Celtic origin ''*-i-āko-'', and often composed with a Latin personal name, carried by a Gallo-Roman native. Then, the region was the scene of various

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

invasions during the 3rd century. The

Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...

did not establish an administrative power there, although Briovera was nevertheless entitled to hammer coinage. Historian Claude Fauchet said, "the Coutentin, at the same time as our

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

kings, was inhabited by the Sesnes (

Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

), pirates, and seems to have been abandoned by

Carolingians The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid ...

, as variable and too remote for correction by our kings, to the Normans and other plunderers of sea..." Sainte-Croix Church was built in 300, said to be on the ruins of a temple of Ceres. Christianity grew quite late. There were only four before 511. Laud of Coutances, bishop in 525–565, had a residence here. After his death he was beatified and was particularly honoured by Briovera, which would have housed his tomb. A pilgrimage was conducted and the city took the name of ''Saint-Laud'', and then the name ''Saint-Lô'' which has been known since the 8th century.

Middle Ages

The Bretons, led by King Salomon, began to occupy the west coast of the

from 836. Before their advances, in August 867,

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...

gave Salomon the Comitatus Constantiensis, territory over which he had little influence. In 889, the

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

travelled up the Vire and besieged Saint-Lô. Protected by solid ramparts built, according to tradition, in the early 9th century by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

, the town did not initially surrender. The attackers then cut the water supply, resulting in the surrender of the inhabitants. The Vikings massacred the inhabitants, including the Bishop of Coutances, and then razed the town. The seat of the diocese moved to

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

. It was only in 1025 that Bishop Herbert decided to return to the walls of Saint-Lô and restore the episcopal see. Then, under

Geoffrey de Montbray Geoffrey de Montbray (died 1093), also known as Montbrai, Mowbray or Geoffrey of Coutances, was a Normans, Norman nobleman, :wikt:secular, secular prelate, warrior and administrator who was Bishop of Coutances from 1049 to 1093. He was an adviser ...

, the town experienced a great economic development, taking advantage of the Norman expedition in Sicily.

Robert Guiscard Robert Guiscard ( , ; – 17 July 1085), also referred to as Robert de Hauteville, was a Normans, Norman adventurer remembered for his Norman conquest of southern Italy, conquest of southern Italy and Sicily in the 11th century. Robert was born ...

, a close associate of Geoffrey, brought important loot to Apulia and Calabria, and it was thanks to this treasure that Geoffrey was able to rebuild Coutances Cathedral in 1056. Saint-Lô is famous for its goldsmiths and even Matilda of Flanders, the wife of

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

, ordered two candelabra for the . The population of the region participated in the conquest of England. Henry I, Count of Cotentin and eventually King of England strengthened Saint-Lô in 1090. In 1091, Geoffrey de Montbray, Bishop of Coutances, had a lock and mills built on the River Vire. With the death of Henry I in 1135, Stephen of Blois, Count of Mortain and

Geoffrey of Anjou Geoffrey V (24 August 1113 – 7 September 1151), called the Fair (), Plantagenet, and of Anjou, was the count of Anjou and Maine by inheritance from 1129, and also duke of Normandy by his marriage claim and conquest, from 1144. Geoffrey m ...

disputed the legitimacy of the realm. Saint-Lô sided with Stephen but was taken in 1139 by the Plantagenet army in just three days. The Archbishop of Canterbury,

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

, passed through Saint-Lô and a church, of which there remains no trace except the name of the ''Rue Saint-Thomas'', was dedicated to him. In 1204, Saint-Lô submitted to

Philip Augustus Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks (Latin: ''rex Francorum''), but from 1190 onward, Philip became the firs ...

and became French. During this period of peace, the town prospered: It had the

Hôtel-Dieu In French-speaking countries, a hôtel-Dieu () was originally a hospital for the poor and needy, run by the Catholic Church. Nowadays these buildings or institutions have either kept their function as a hospital, the one in Paris being the oldest an ...

built on the edges of the town along with part of the Notre-Dame church and in 1234 a guild of tailors was established. Saint Louis came to the city twice, in 1256 and 1269. Saint-Lô was then the third largest town in the

Duchy of Normandy The Duchy of Normandy grew out of the 911 Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple, King Charles III of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo. The duchy was named for its inhabitants, the Normans. From 1066 until 1204, as a r ...

after

and

. In 1275 it received the right to mint coins from King

Philip III of France Philip III (1 May 1245 – 5 October 1285), called the Bold (), was King of France from 1270 until his death in 1285. His father, Louis IX, died in Tunis during the Eighth Crusade. Philip, who was accompanying him, returned to France and wa ...

, which it maintained until 1693. It specialised in tanneries with the designation '' la vache de Saint-Lô'' he cowhide of Saint-Lô After , its own trade of laces and leather aiguillettes amounted to one million in 1555; in knife making: A 16th century saying ''"Qui voudroit avoir bon couteau, Il faudroit aller à Saint-Lô"'' ho would wish to have good knife, it would be necessary to go to Saint-Lô in

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...

ing; and in

textiles Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

, one of the main centres of France. There were more than 2,000 weavers, located mostly near the Dollée, a less powerful river than the Vire but with a smoother flow. Wool was imported from across the Cotentin peninsula. An order of 20 June 1460 fixed a special edge to the sheets of Saint-Lô. The English landed at

Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue () is a Communes of France, commune in the Manche Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in north-western France. It is particularly known for being a major site of fortifications des ...

on 12 July 1346 and then moved upon Saint-Lô on 22 July.

Jean Froissart Jean Froissart ( Old and Middle French: ''Jehan''; sometimes known as John Froissart in English; – ) was a French-speaking medieval author and court historian from the Low Countries who wrote several works, including ''Chronicles'' and ''Meli ...

describes ''"the big town of Saint-Leu in Constentin,... for the hard times, was rich and mercantile."'' The town was sacked.

16th to 20th centuries

The period of peace had returned but the Cotentin lost its importance. Francis I was acclaimed at the door of the Neufbourg in 1532. In the 16th century, Protestantism won the round. Saint-Lô had a

reformed church Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

from 1555 and early printed books would be Protestant works. Saint-Lô suffered notably during the Wars of Religion. The

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

s, holding Saint-Lô and

, ransacked Coutances in 1562 and seized the Bishop Artus de Cossé-Brissac, who was dragged in the town of Saint-Lô on a donkey. Although, while the Edict of Pacification of Amboise had prompted the city to submit to Charles IX in February 1574, Norman Protestants made their headquarters in Saint-Lô. Troops led by the besieged the city on 1 May, assaulted it 10 days later and captured it on 10 June. There were more than 500 deaths among those whose leader was Colombières, Lord of Bricqueville, but the Protestant Grand Captain Gabriel I of Montgomery escaped through the door of the Dollée. The town was ceded to who built the citadel. Two years later the seigneury of the bishops of Coutances over the town ceased forever. As a result of the war, in 1580, Saint-Lô lost the headquarters of the

présidial The presidial courts (; singular ) were judicial courts of the Kingdom of France set up in January 1551 by Henry II of France with jurisdiction between the ''parlements'' and the bailiwick A bailiwick () is usually the area of jurisdiction of a ba ...

, transferred to Coutances, capital of the bailiwick. In the mid-17th century part of the walls were destroyed, and the town grew with a new borough known as ''Neufborg''. After the revocation of the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...

(1685), most craftsmen abandoned Saint-Lô. The Revolt of the va-nu-pieds shook the area slightly in 1636, when the Government wanted to extend the

gabelle The ''gabelle'' () was a very unpopular French salt tax that was established during the mid-14th century and lasted, with brief lapses and revisions, until 1946. The term ''gabelle'' is derived from the Italian ''gabella'' (a duty), itself orig ...

in Cotentin. The region flourished especially in the manufacture of so-called ''d'estame'' wool socks. In 1678, the relics of Saint Laud were brought back to Notre-Dame. The route between Paris and

, built to 1761, passes to Saint-Lô, facilitating trade. The French Revolution of 1789 overthrew the administrative division of the France and the capital of the department was temporarily set at Coutances between 1794 and 1796. Saint-Lô took the ''"Rocher de la Liberté"'' ock of Freedomand a tree was planted on the ''Champ de Mars''. The city was relatively untouched during the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

although there were some clashes with the Chouans. The Napoleonic period saw the creation of the national stud. In 1827, Marie Thérèse of France, Duchess of Angoulême, passed through Saint-Lô and she was struck by the beauty of the landscape. She then planned to bring the sea to Saint-Lô making the River Vire navigable. The creation of the in 1833 allowed the establishment of the connection between

and Saint-Lô. Then, by order of 10 July 1835, the Vire was classified as navigable. Baron Alfred Mosselman built a port at Saint-Lô in recruiting nearly 250 military detainees and Spanish prisoners. A boatyard was created and traffic flowed at 50 tons in 1841 to more than 132 in 1846. then launched barges and introduced horse traction by arranging the towpaths of the waterway. Several goods were transported but mainly the and the lime from the quarries of

Pont-Hébert Pont-Hébert () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2018, the former commune of Le Hommet-d'Arthenay was merged into Pont-Hébert.Cavigny Cavigny () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. See also *Communes of the Manche department The following is a list of the 445 communes of the Manche department of France. The communes cooperate in th ...

. It thus passed from 1,233 tonnes of lime production in 1841 to 30,000 in 1858. In 1867, the paper mill of Valvire Information board arranged in front of the chimney. was built near the spillway and manufactured packing paper. It was destroyed by fire in 1930 and little remains beyond the chimney of the plant. Saint-Lô ruled out the

Mantes-la-Jolie–Cherbourg railway The railway from Mantes-la-Jolie to Cherbourg is an important French 228-kilometre long railway line, that connects Mantes-la-Jolie, a western suburb of Paris, with the northwestern port city Cherbourg via Caen. At Mantes-la-Jolie, the railway l ...

because its inhabitants, having fear of industrial progress, refused a path linking them to Paris. It would be attached to the rail network in 1860. In the 19th century, Saint-Lô, in the heart of a rich farming area, established itself as an important place for trade in animals, but the fear of the rural population towards the industrial revolution was blocking its development. River traffic transit saw 53,000 tonnes of goods, only 6% of which were foodstuffs. A leak was discovered in the canal and the River Vire was decommissioned in 1926. The region experienced a significant rural exodus and suffered casualties of the war of 1870 and the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The Valvire paper mill burned down in the 1930s and would never be rebuilt. The demographics of the department was very negative from 1850. The city entered

in a declining situation. In 1914 and 1915, Saint-Lô welcomed the temporary hospital No. 2 of the 10th Army Corps. The criminal case of Jean Philippe took place in Saint-Lô, and was then judged by the Court of Assizes of Manche, at Coutances on 9 December 1940.

World War II

France was invaded in 1940 and the 7th Panzer Division, commanded by

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel (; 15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944), popularly known as The Desert Fox (, ), was a German '' Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal) during World War II. He served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of ...

, entered Normandy. The objective being the capture of the city of

, the centre of

was bypassed as the German Army occupied Saint-Lô, a strategic crossroads, on the night of 17 June 1940. During the occupation, the statue of the Norman dairywoman and the Havin statue, both made by were sold and melted to make cannons, despite opposition from local politicians. In March 1943, the Germans decided to dig a tunnel under the rock. For the time being, no one is able to say what the usefulness of this tunnel would have been, though it was dug at the same time as the Agneaux Institute. Workers from the STO would be required until the beginning of the

Battle of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the N ...

. Then, the underground, under construction, would house the sick of the Hôtel-Dieu located opposite and a part of the Saint-Lô population. A German soldier was shot in January 1944 and several local people were arrested. The cinema, theatre and bars were closed, radios confiscated and the curfew was extended to 8pm. During the Liberation, Saint-Lô suffered two series of air attacks during the Battle of Normandy. The first was the bombardment of the city by the Americans during the night of D-Day 6–7 June 1944. The first American air strike killed almost eight hundred civilians. Allied planes continued to attack the power plant and rail facilities daily for a week. A second series of air attacks began on 17 July, during the Battle of Saint-Lô, which would give its name to the USS ''St. Lo''. This time the city was bombed by the Germans. As a main transport center, the city was a nexus of military activity starting the

and on to the breakout from Normandy,

Operation Cobra Operation Cobra was an offensive launched by the First United States Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take advantage of the dis ...

. As a result of air and ground attacks, Saint-Lô was almost totally destroyed (90–95% according to common estimates). The city was dubbed " The Capital of the Ruins" by

. Saint-Lô was one of the key cities to the opening of the Falaise Gap, which ultimately allowed Allied forces to expel the Germans from northern France. By order of Charles H. Gerhardt, Major General Charles Gerhardt, a jeep carried the body of Thomas D. Howie, Major Thomas Howie, later immortalized as "The Major of St. Lô", wrapped in a flag on its hood so that it could be said that he was the first American to enter the city. Saint-Lô received the and the Croix de guerre 1939–1945 (France), Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 on 2 June 1948 with a citation for "capital of the Manche Department which has retained full confidence in the destiny of the country. Suffered on the night of 6–7 June, with a heroic calm, an air bombardment to such a point that its inhabitants could consider themselves as citizens of the capital of the ruins". These awards would be given on 6 June by President Vincent Auriol. The two communes, now absorbed from Sainte-Croix-de-Saint-Lô and Saint-Thomas-de-Saint-Lô, were also decorated with the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 on 11 November 1948.

Postwar period

After the war the question arose as to whether the town should be rebuilt or left with its ruins intact as a testimony to the bombing. One American soldier laconically commented: "We sure liberated the hell out of this place". Almost totally destroyed (97%), Saint-Lô had the unenviable nickname of ''Capital of Ruins'', an expression attributed to Archbishop Bernard Jacqueline. It was the reason which compelled the prefect of the ruins to settle in Coutances. This ''Capital of Ruins'' was revived by

in his text ''The Capital of Ruins'' of 10 June 1946, which he wrote for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Raidió Éireann, proving how much it remained marked by what he had seen and done in Saint-Lô. The Notre-Dame church located on the ramparts still bears the scars of bombing and bloody clashes which took place. The population timidly returned to the city. There were 180 people on 12 August 1944, but U.S. authorities decided not to issue authorisation of residence and supplied tickets. A lengthy clean-up began, including the corpses of residents and soldiers, which lasted until 15 October 1944. However, officials hesitated to rebuild Saint-Lô. Indeed, some were willing to leave the ruins as a testament to the martyrdom of the city and later rebuild a new Saint-Lô. The population declined, preferring to reinhabit its city. In April 1945, the Minister Raoul Dautry advocated a provisional wooden barracks building. These huts are built through the generosity of the donations. Thus, the association of the unblocked an appropriation of 620,000 Swiss francs to build homes and a community centre. On 10 October 1949, Switzerland offered a gold ingot to the city which yielded 649,490 francs. There were ten housing estates in 1948, some which contained over 70 houses. The barracks were delivered in kit form, and it was enough to build them on the spot. Each had different specifics according to their place of origin (Swedish, Finnish, Swiss, French, American, Canadian). The Irish International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Red Cross participated in the construction of a 100-bed hospital consisting of 25 buildings (located level with the Pasteur college) and landed 174 tons of equipment starting in August 1945. The hospital was inaugurated on Sunday, 7 April 1946 and the Irish medical team left Saint-Lô at the beginning of January 1947. This hospital, consisting of wooden shacks, operated until 1956. By 1948, a more permanent Saint-Lô had to be rebuilt. This would be done on the basis of plans designed by the Chief Architect of the reconstruction André Hilt (died 1946), which had proposed to retain the general fabric of the town by adapting it to modern needs. President Vincent Auriol laid the first stone just four years after landing. As partial reparation for the destruction of the city, the Americans, behind the bombing, decided to build a modern hospital. The plans were made by the architect Paul Nelson (architect), Paul Nelson, who decided to build a contemporary-style building. It is located on the ''Route de Villedieu-les-Poêles, Villedieu''. Work began in 1949, and it was completed on 10 May 1956. A monumental mosaic was made by Fernand Léger, which pays tribute to peace and Franco-American friendship: Both hands towards the Cotentin Peninsula symbolised with an apple tree branch in bloom. It was at that time the largest hospital in Europe. On 29 November 1949, the journalist Frédéric Pottecher submitted a hypothesis to not move the prefecture of Manche from Saint-Lô. Although, during the reconstruction, it was temporarily placed in Coutances. The whole of the population reacted and a petition collected more than 2,400 signatures. The prefecture returned to Saint-Lô in 1953, into new premises. Saint-Lô was rebuilt. The dominant style was a neo-regionalist functionalism which was dominated by concrete. Its dated and monotonous character was soon criticised. If this choice, dictated by the circumstances and the immediate problems of the housing of Saint-Lô, leaves regrets today, it makes Saint-Lô, on a smaller scale than Le Havre or Lorient, one of the most striking testimonies of the reconstruction period. A few streets contain vestiges of the old Saint-Lô: some houses on the ''Rue du Neufbourg'', ''Rue Croix-Canuet'' and ''Falourdel'', ''Rue Saint-Georges'' and ''Porte au Four''. This last street houses the last medieval way of Saint-Lô. In 1964, Saint-Lô absorbed two neighbouring communes, Sainte-Croix-de-Saint-Lô (660 inhabitants in 1962, to the east of the territory) and Saint-Thomas-de-Saint-Lô (306 inhabitants to the south). The town benefitted from the economic growth of the Trente Glorieuses and the population grew by 30% between 1968 and 1975. It built neighbourhoods of buildings in the Valley of the Dollée and Val Saint-Jean. The theatre, meanwhile, was inaugurated in 1963. The square of the town hall was completely redeveloped in the 1990s. The city organised a large demonstration on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Normandy landings. The edges of the Vire were reconfigured with the rehabilitation of the towpath and the creation of a green beach, at the ''Place du Quai-à-Tangue''. A

was rebuilt and crossed the river, in order to remember former river traffic. In 2004, the rural area of Bois-Jugan was urbanised, with the creation of housing within a framework of preservation of green spaces and a large aquatic centre. Later, the Des Ronchettes water tower was built following an unusual method for the time, since the tank (strongly resembling a flying saucer) was built at the ground level, then raised by a system of jacks, as the rings composing its body were manufactured. As such, its elevation allows a mounting point for telecommunication (mobile phone, WiMAX, and FM radio) networks.

Politics and administration

List of mayors

During the Revolution

For the French Revolution, revolutionary period, the destruction of most of the archives does not allow a definitive result.

Empires and Restoration

Third Republic

Since 1944

In 1944, the municipal council was suspended and a municipal delegation, chaired by Georges Lavalley, was temporarily responsible for administering the city.

Demography

Demographic evolution

In 2017, the commune had 19,116 inhabitants.Évolution et structure de la population en 2017
INSEE

Age structure

In 2017, the distribution of the population of the commune by age group was as follows:

Heraldry

Economy

The city, at a crossroads between Caen, Cherbourg and Rennes, has a natural vocation of marketplace in the centre of the Manche

. A city of craftsmen and trade, which owes part of its prosperity to its status of prefecture, it has experienced a late industrialisation and attempts to assert its place, today, in the regional agri-food industry. Despite this, the Saint-Lô country became one of the less industrial areas of the region. Its unemployment rate of 6.7% also hides an exodus of young workers to the area of Caen and Rennes. The entry into service of the helped open up the centre of Manche and create a new industrial zone (ZAC Neptune). In 2008, Saint-Lô was equipped with Optical fiber, fibre optic cable to allow companies and individuals to have very high speed internet (approximately 1 Bit rate, Gbps and 100 Mbit/s for individuals). Companies should have had access to this speed by September 2008, with individuals not before September 2009. Saint-Lô will be one of the first cities in France of this size to be equipped with a fibre optic internet network.

Tax rate

Industries

*Lecapitaine: Manufacturer of automotive bodywork and refrigeration, a subsidiary of Petit Forestier (320 employees – €33M turnover). *Moulinex: The Moulinex factory has long been the largest plant in Saint-Lô. When the group went bankrupt in 2004, the factory was a subsidiary of SEB, and general company for electric motors was revived as Euromoteurs, with SEB as the only customer. Part of the production lines were dismantled, sold to China and resettled there by the Green de Gourfaleur company. The Saint-Lô site had 150 employees and manufactured small and medium power electric motors. Suffering from only having the single client SEB, Euromoteurs was put into liquidation in 2007. *Alios, production plant which manufactures smart cards and ''CEV'', a company that manages electronic transactions, grouped in the same building (80 employees) and subsidiaries of the Groupe Up, Group Chèque Déjeuner. It is one of the key players in the Secure Electronic Transactions . *MT Verbom, company specialising in press tools. Created in 1985 on the ''Promenade des ports'', the Martignoni-Traisnel company specialises in the production of auto parts, and moved in 1990 into the Chevallerie zone. In 1998 the company became closer with Canadian group Verbom and employed 65 people on the site in 2008.

Tertiary sector

The town of Saint-Lô is very oriented towards services, thus since the fall of Moulinex, the France-United States Memorial Hospital became the first employer in the city. There are many jobs in administration related to its status of prefecture. Its location in the heart of the bocage allows it to sustain services connected historically with agriculture: It may be noted the presence of one of the seats of the , whose closure was announced in June 2010, but also the insurer Groupama, clearly visible from the Major Howie roundabout, and . Finally, many businesses have developed along the ring road.

Agriculture and agro-food hub

The city hosts activities associated with the rearing of cattle and horses. Each week, a calf market took place in the market installed until 30 December 2008 near Les Ronchettes. From January 2009, it was removed and attached to the calf market at Torigni-sur-Vire. The city also has the Livestock Promotion Centre, located next to the stud farm, which hosts the equestrian competition of the Normandy horse show, each year in August. The agri-food cluster has developed since 1990 with the aim of hosting companies in this sector, several public or parapublic bodies are installed: *Adria normandie: technical advice centre for agro-processing. *The agri-food nursery. *Lilano: ''Laboratoire interprofessionnel laitier de Normandie'' [Inter-professional dairy laboratory of Normandy]. *The Centre of agri-food formation of Saint-Lô, an extension of the Thère Farming School located at Le Hommet-d'Arthenay. *Ardefa: ''Association régionale pour le développement de l'emploi et des formations dans les industries alimentaires'' [Regional Association for the development of employment and training in the food industries.] *Workshop of agri-food rotation. *The agri-food park of Saint-Georges-Montcocq / Le Mesnil-Rouxelin on which the master dairies are established; through lack of implementation, much remains undeveloped. In 2008, the only success in the agri-food field was the success of the France Kebab enterprise, which had won many prizes in 2007.

Media

Several regional media are disseminated in Saint-Lô and have an office. * (weekly newspaper), headquarters *''Ouest-France'' (daily press), departmental daily *''La Presse de la Manche'' (daily press) *, formerly Radio Manche (radio) * (radio)

Education

The city of Saint-Lô falls within the .

University Institute of Technology

The site of Saint-Lô is a component of the which offers the following courses: * * *Professional licence, development and protection of the cultural heritage, option virtual reality and multimedia training *Professional licence, management maintenance and industrial exploitation. A part of the Groupe FIM, training organisation of the and that of .

School of Management and Commerce

The School of Management and Commerce of Saint-Lô was established in 1988 under the auspices of th
FIM Group
and is currently headed by Yves Ricolleau. A member of the national network of the EGC, the school offers consisting of three years of responsible marketing, commercialisation and management. The school gains about 40 new students each year.

Garrisons

Saint-Lô has been the site of various garrisons at the Bellevue barracks: * ? – 1923 : 3 battalions (1st, 2nd and 3rd) of the * 1924–1929 : 1st Battalion of the 1st Colonial * 1929–1939 : * ? – ? : * 1963 – ? : 512th Transport Group, coming from Constantine * 1978–1984 : 1st Marine Infantry Regiment, 1st RIMA

Culture

Facilities

*The Jean Lurçat Cultural Centre: media library, , auditorium, drawing school and community building. *Municipal music school *The Roger Ferdinand Theatre *The Normandy: concert hall for current music *''Lieu Pluri-artistique Art Plume'' [Multi-artistic Pen Art Place] in the Valley of the Dollée *The cinema ''Cinemoviking'', on ''Esplanade Jean-Grémillon''. The ''Cinemoviking'' cinema opened on 1 April 2009, and was the first cinema of Lower Normandy to offer 3D films.

Events

*Asian Culture Festival and manga (in February) *Housing fair: Parc des expos (late February) *The ''Hétéroclites'' (in June): Street theatre, acrobatics, music, in the bucolic atmosphere of the Valley of the Dollée. *Festival of the Vire: At the ''Plage verte'' (last weekend in June) *Festival of music with the Tendance Live Show organised by ' *Chess Festival (early July) Festival *Criterium of the ramparts of Saint-Lô: Around the ''Enclos'' (last Wednesday of July) *The ''Jeudis du haras'' [Thursdays of the Stud]: Saint-Lô stud farm (July and August) *Normandy horse show: equine complex (August) *''Foire aux Croûtes et à la brocante'' [Fair of the Crusts and of the flea market]: City centre (in September): exhibition and sale of paintings of local artists and garage sale *: Choral festival (October, biennial; ended in 2014) *''Challenges de la ville de Saint-Lô de tir'' [Challenges of the city of Saint-Lô of shooting] (rifle, pistol and field crossbow) organised annually by Saint-Lô shooting club at the ''Salle Saint-Ghislain'' on the ''Rue de l'Exode'', the second weekend of October. *Fair of Saint-Lô: Parc des expos (October) *National stallion competition (October) *Sonic Meetings (in November), music festival

Personalities linked to the commune

Births

*Jacques Davy Duperron (1556–1618), poet and diplomat. * (1778–1847), miniaturist of the 19th century. *Urbain Le Verrier (1811–1877), astronomer and mathematician, born in Saint-Lô where he spent the first years of his childhood. A plaque is installed at the ''Place du Champ-de-Mars'' on the building where he lived. * (1819–1867), physician * (1820–1893), legal and artistic personality of

and grandson of the last Viscount Granville, Manche, Granville, . *Octave Feuillet (1821–1890), writer, was born and died in Saint-Lô. His birthplace is 2 ''Rue Saint-Georges''. A novelist and playwright who gained success under the Second French Empire, Second Empire, he was considered a 'bourgeois writer' of that era and was elected to the Académie française when 40 years old. * (1832–1906), woman of letters and wife of the previous * (1880–1915), cartoonist * (1897–1944), resistant, died during deportation *Jacques Datin (1920–1973), composer who wrote for France Gall, Juliette Gréco, Serge Lama, Claude Nougaro, Édith Piaf, etc. * (1929), director of IT companies, son of * (1932), son of Raymond Brulé *Claude Rolley, (1933–2007), archaeologist, Emeritus Professor of the University of Burgundy, writer on the art of Gaul and ancient Greece, President of the *Jean Teulé (1953), novelist, who also performed in film and on television *Jacky Vimond (1961), first French motocross rider to become world champion in 1986 *, designer writer *, gold medallist team rider at the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games *Florian Angot and , riders of the team of France at the Equestrian at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Olympic Games in Athens *Alexis Loret (1975), actor who was in the film by Valérie Guignabodet *Hugues Duboscq, French swimmer, bronze medallist in the 100m breaststroke at the Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2004 and Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008 Summer Olympics *Benoit Lesoimier, professional footballer who plays for Stade Brestois 29. *Florian Geffrouais (1988), Decathlon, decathlete.

Others

* (1746–1818), the last Viscount of Granville, Manche, Granville, died at Saint-Lô, where he was president of the court of first instance, on 30 August 1818 * (1746–1835), deputy Mayor of Saint-Lô, public prosecutor and president of the Criminal Court of Manche, deputy of Manche in the Council of Ancients. * (1755–1829), lawyer in Saint-Lô and member of the convention * (1764–1827), military * (1768–1826), politician of

was a borough councillor of Saint-Lô under the First French Empire, Empire *Jean Follain, author, devoted a book entitled ''Chef-lieu'' (1950), in Saint-Lô where he spent his adolescence. Many documents are gathered in the Museum of Fine Arts of the city *

, Nobel Prize winning writer, who enlisted as a steward at the Irish Hospital of Saint-Lô. He dedicated four lines which are today engraved at the entrance to the Museum of Fine Arts."''Vire will wind in other shadows'' (Les méandres de la Vire charrieront d'autres ombres), ''Unborn though the bright ways tremble'' (à venir qui vacillent encore dans la lumière des chemins), ''And the old mind ghost-forsaken'' (et le vieux crâne vidé de ses spectres), ''Sink into its havoc'' (se noiera dans son propre chaos)." *Paul-Jacques Bonzon, youth novelist *Albert II, Prince of Monaco, Albert II, current Prince of Monaco, who carries Baron of Saint-Lô amongst . *Ant Middleton, the British former special forces soldier, TV personality and author, lived in the town with his family in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Sports

Sports disciplines

Football

In 2014–2015, FC Saint-Lô Manche developed its team first in Championnat de France amateur 2, CFA 2 and two other teams in the . In 2004, the club was playing in the CFA. The club home is the recently built . The ''Union sportive Sainte-Croix-de-Saint-Lô'' develops a Association football, football team in the League of Lower Normandy and two others in French football league system, district divisions.

Other sports clubs

*: Baseball team was twice champion of France (1996 and 1997). Evolving in the Division Élite, Championship of France elite in 2006, the club was dropped for the 2007 season for financial reasons and evolved at the regional level in 2008. *The Normandy Horse Show is a major riding event for the promotion of the saddle horse. The annual event takes place around the week of 15 August. *Team Nissan France Dessoude, directed by André Dessoude, participates in Rally raid Championship, including the Dakar Rally. In 2002, he hired Johnny Hallyday. *ASPTT Saint-Lô Handball inhabited the French in 2012. *Saint-Lô Rugby Club. *Saint-Lô shooting club, formerly ''Buffalo Club'', created 4 August 1952; the main shooting stand is located at 91 ''Rue Poterne'' to the level of the Tour des Beaux-Regards in the tunnels of the old unfinished German underground hospital, dug during the

. *Agneaux-Saint-Lô Chess Club. Recognised as one of the most dynamic chess clubs in France. The young team is part of the Top 16, first national division. *Saint-Lô Volleyball, Volley was playing in the in 2012. *, the first club of floorball in

. *ARC Club saint-lois: Archery club established in 1977, premier club in Manche. *''Patronage laïque saint-lois'' [Saint-lois secular patronage]: Table tennis club.

Facilities

*Sports complex of Saint-Ghislain (former indoor pool on ''Rue de l'Exode''): **Weight training, Weight room **Marcel Cerdan Boxing Hall **Straw wall, in the gym, for archery **Stadium **Tennis courts *André-Guilbert – Maréchal-Juin Gym *Gym Hall of the Bois Ardent & Dojo Alain-Crépieux Dojo – ''Place George Pompidou'' *Table tennis hall – ''Rue du Mesnilcroc'' *Complex of the Vaucelle: Jean-Berthelem Stadium – base of canoeing * – Ronchettes: football pitch *Aurora Stadium – Ronchettes: rugby ground *Fernand-Beaufils Sports Centre – Champs de Mars: basketball, fencing room *Aquatic Centre – Bois Jugan, opened in January 2005. It has a 25 m pool with a movable floor to adjust depth, a leisure pool (wild river, seat massage, etc.), a wading pool, an outdoor pool open year-round and a gym (cold bath, Jacuzzi, Turkish bath, hammam, fitness room and massage shower). *The tennis courts of the Memorial Tennis Club – *Equestrian centre of the Gourmette saint-loise *Squash – Bois Jugan (near the aquatic centre) *Compact golf – Bois Jugan *Archery field – ''Rue Valvire'' (at the end) *Baseball field.

Sites and monuments

Religious heritage

Church of Notre-Dame

The is a monument of Flamboyant Gothic style erected on four centuries from the end of the 13th century to replace the former castle's chapel. It is located in the ''Enclos'' surrounded by ramparts and was listed on the register of Monument historique, historic monuments in 1840. The outdoor pulpit was noted and drawn by Victor Hugo, which he called 'unique' in a letter to Adèle Foucher. He protected it from demolition, which was planned prior to town renovation in 1863. The building suffered heavy destruction during

, although it was among the only standing buildings after the 1944 bombings. If the stained-glass windows were saved, after being always present since temporary removal during the war, the nave was gutted following the collapse of the North Tower which was shelled by German artillery. Its roof and façade were destroyed, as well as the top of the other tower. Instead of rebuilding the church identically, the architect of Historic Monuments decided to build a greenschist frontage to highlight the scar left by the war. The statue of ''Notre-Dame du Pilier'' is from 1467; having been destroyed and remade several times, it is now housed on a column in the apse chapel.

Church of Sainte-Croix

The is, according to the tradition, the heir of a chapel built here by St. Helena in the 4th century and of an abbey founded by Charlemagne. Better documented is the creation of an Augustinians, Augustinian abbey by Algar, the new bishop of Coutances (formerly the prior of Bodmin Priory, Cornwall) in 1132. The Romanesque church was consecrated in 1202, being largely remade in the following centuries with successive renovations. The choir was remade in the 16th century while the bell tower is from 1860 to 1863. During

, the bell tower (located laterally) collapsed and it was on its ruins where the body of Thomas D. Howie, Major Howie was placed; a new bell tower was rebuilt in 1957 on the forecourt in a modern style. On the church square stands the departmental monument in memory of the victims of the wars of Algerian War, Algeria and First Indochina War, Indochina, opened in 2005.

Cemetery of Saint-Lô

The cemetery of Saint-Lô is located between the Saint-Croix Church and the national stud, on the ''Route de Lison''. The cemetery is much marked by the Second World War with the plot of the civilian victims of the bombing of 1944, also the mausoleum of the Blanchet family, and Major Glover S. Johns Junior who installed the first command post before releasing the city. One can still find the tomb of the Luc Siméon Auguste Dagobert, Dagobert. Also note the weeping statue which has traces of shrapnel, a bronze sculpture of Cabet, who was a student of F. Rude.

Other buildings

The parish of Saint-Lô has other Catholicism, Catholic buildings: *Church of Saint Jean-Eudes located in Val Saint-Jean *The chapel of the Memorial Hospital *The chapel of the Saint Jean clinic *The chapel of the Bon-Sauveur psychiatric hospital *The John XXIII Chapel in the Dollée quarter The city also has a temple of the Protestantism, Protestant Reformed Church of France. It was built by architect Verrey with the glazing of Max Ingrand and was inaugurated on 23 October 1955.

Historical civil heritage

Several sites are registered as historic monuments: *The Madeleine Chapel. *The Château de la Vaucelle, registered on 11 July 1975. *Notre-Dame church, recorded in 1840, contains ten objects registered in respect of objects classified as historical monuments. *The Sainte-Croix church. *The National Stud and its park, registered on 18 February 1993. *The wards and the lobby of the . *The Manor of Bosdel, constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries, registered as an Monument historique, historic monument on 1 April 1946. *The remains of the walls recorded on 12 December 1945 but the ''Rue de la poterne'' and the ''Place des Beaux-Regards'' had been registered as early as 22 October 1937. The Maison-Dieu [House of God] (not to be confused with the

) located opposite the church and built in the second half of the 15th century was razed during the bombings of 1944. This bourgeois construction presented a half-timbered façade with corbels and sculptures. Another House, called ''Poids Royal'', located in the quad at 11 ''Rue Thiers'' in the ''Enclos'' had been included in historical monuments on 3 October 1929, it was also destroyed.

Ramparts

Saint-Lô also has remains of its medieval line of walls. Ramparts still exist on three of the four sides of the ''Enclos''. The remains include: ''Tour des Beaux-Regards'' ("Tower of Beautiful Glances"), commanding the steepest part of the spur of the town, and the ''Tour de la Poudrière'' ("Tower of the Gunpowder Store"), an impressive military relic of the old citadel, are the two most notable elements of the ramparts. On the south side, the wartime disaster of 1944 had the paradoxical effect of clearing the base, where houses had grown around the ''Rue du Torteron''.

National Stud

Saint-Lô is home to the largest of the 23 national stud farms in France. In 1806, Napoleon provided Saint-Lô with a deposit of stallions by the . From its origin, the deposit was installed on buildings and abandoned land of the old Abbey of Sainte-Croix ( first leased and then owned from 22 September 1807). The stud then recruited from the breeding of the Haras national du Pin, Haras du Pin. In 1826, the military remount depot moved premises which the stud had given to it; most stallions were taken from the stud to provide cavalry. On 28 May 1874, the Boscher Law enabled supervision of the allocations of the regiments and allowed to provide the stud with over 230 horses. On 28 June 1881, the municipal council decided to transfer the stud to adjoin the ''Route de Bayeux''. Thus, the current stud farm buildings date from 1884 (the first stone was laid on 11 June 1884), and the transfer was finished three years later. During World War I, five mares out of six were requisitioned, but no stallions. Groom (profession), Grooms fought at the front, and German prisoners dug a pond. In 1939, the old stable housed the staff of the Haras de Strasbourg (40 stallions and staff) at the time of the German breakthrough. Then, in 1944, fifty horses were killed by the bombing and other stallions were stolen by German soldiers in flight. The old stud was destroyed and claimed by the city. Thus, there only remains the street of the same name and the Normandy building which was previously the former riding school. The new stud was then built. Charles de Gaulle, General de Gaulle offered to the Sultan of Morocco ''Bois de Rose'', a thoroughbred which had been stationed at the stud for two years. The stud then grew gradually in the field of reproduction, by investing in an artificial insemination centre, a centre for the freezing of semen and an embryo transfer unit. Thus, the electoral district of Saint-Lô has the highest density of breeding deposits of France.

Château de la Vaucelle

Located on the bank of the Vire, the belongs to the Saint-Lois descendants of the 17th century diarist Luc Duchemin. The Sainte-Pernelle Chapel is the work of a Lord of the Vaucelle Jean Boucart, confessor of Louis XI of France, Louis XI and founder of the parish library of Saint-Lô, which was at the time the second library of Normandy by importance. Three kings resided at the Vaucelle: Edward III of England, Edward III in 1346, at the beginning of the Hundred Years' War the king found that it was not a safe city, Francis I during his visit in 1532 and Charles IX. The dovecote and the northern wall niche are listed as protected elements.

Museums

Museum of Fine Arts

Built by the architect Eugène Leseney, the Jean-Lurçat Cultural Centre is situated on the ''Place du Champ-de-Mars'', opposite the Sainte-Croix Church. It houses the Museum of Fine Arts where, within the collections of the city since 1989, are found: The writings and sketches of Jean Follain, paintings by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Corot, Guillaume Fouace, Eugène Boudin. Is also exposed the tapestries of the (16th century), composed of eight tapestries from the Bruges workshops including a draft with the theme of the ''Lai d'Aristote''.

Museum of the Norman Bocage

Boisjugan farm is a farmhouse from the 17th century which was in use until 1970. Converted into a museum, it traces the history and ethnography of agriculture in the Norman bocage since the 18th century with agricultural practices, horse and cattle breeding. Typical sites are reconstructed (workshop, stable, barn and creamery).

Chapel of Madeleine

The is located right next to the national stud, on the road to Bayeux. It is a relic of a former Leper colony, leprosarium from the 14th century. It was classified as an historical monument on 3 August 1974 and was restored between 1988 and 1994. A memorial was inaugurated in May 1995 in honour of the soldiers of the 29th and 35th divisions who liberated Saint-Lô in 1944. Photos, commemorative plaques, tables and flags are on display.

Other notable places

A memorial in the city honours Thomas D. Howie, Major Thomas Howie, Commander of the 3d Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army's 29th Division; the unit that liberated the city on 18 July 1944. Howie was killed just before his unit entered the city and was so highly respected that his men placed his flag-draped body on the hood of a jeep at the front of the column so he could be the first American to enter the city. He became famous as the "Major of Saint-Lô".

Place de la Mairie

Redesigned in 1990, the city square is all black asphalt lit by spotlights on the ground. At night it has a resemblance to an airport runway. The statue of the dairywoman or ''Femme d'Isigny'' [Woman of Isigny] can be seen at the top of the square. (1848–1918) introduced a plaster statue in 1887, a Norman woman marked by the hard work of the Earth, a milk rod (a typical Normandy container) on her shoulder. A few years later, the bronze arrived in Saint-Lô. It is set on a round plinth, surrounded by a basin, on the ''Place des Beaux-Regards'' in front of the Notre-Dame church. She moved a little further when the Poilu of the World War I, Great War was installed. It was then unbolted and melted on 8 February 1942, by the Germans, to recover the bronze for the arms industry. In January 1984, André Leplanquais, a merchant of Saint-Lô, wanted to create a replica of this statue. A fundraiser gained significant donations from residents. Once the money was together, the sculptor , the famous sculptor of Ernée, fashioned a new statue based on the original plans. Moved several times, one can find it near stairs of the square. The base and the granite basin are the original. The Havin fountain also created by Arthur Le Duc in 1887 was located near the Museum of Saint-Lô; its statue was also melted by the Germans, however no replica has been created. Nearby is the prison entrance, a remnant of the bombing in 1944. An urn containing the ashes of deportees is placed at the foot of it. A memorial in honour of the victims of Nazi repression, it became the departmental monument to the French Resistance, Resistance. The Belfry (architecture), belfry can also be observed from the square, which seems to spring from the heart of the city. Built in 1954, it was once used to dry the hoses of firefighters. Renovated several times since 1990, it is the symbol of the reconstruction of the city. At the top are a weathervane in the shape of Unicorn and a viewpoint, from which one can admire the entire region. Previously open to the public by the tourist office, its access is now forbidden.

The Caisse d'Épargne squirrel

A granite statue representing a squirrel can be seen in Saint-Lô, which is the logo of the Groupe Caisse d'Épargne, Caisse d'Épargne banking group; It is located in the ''Rue Saint-Thomas''. What may seem incongruous, it is that there's no bank of this group nearby. However, the bank did have a branch in front, but it was moved in the 1990s. Then arose the question of whether or not to keep the statue for advertising purposes. The people of Saint-Lô had become attached to the squirrel, and it was finally decided to leave it in place.

Quarters

The town of Saint-Lô consists of a number of Quarter (urban subdivision), quarters: *The Val Saint-Jean, composed mainly of buildings and apartment towers. *The Aurore, composed mostly of single family homes and social housing. One can discover, the ''Rue des Sycamores'' open school of Aurore. This modern architecture is a work of Eugène Leseney. *The Bois Ardent–Bois Jugan: Located on the south side of the city, these twp quarters include leisure spaces (urban golf, pool, and squash, etc.) as well as service spaces (employment service, retirement home) and a . *The Dollée composed mainly of a large number of social and private apartment buildings. *La Ferronnière *The Enclos, historic centre of the city within the walls with its prefectural administrative centre.

Parks and green spaces

The commune is a floral city, having obtained three flowers in the Concours des villes et villages fleuris [contest of floral cities and villages]. *The public garden: It is located in the ''Enclos'', between the ''Tour des Beaux-Regards'' and the administrative area. The view is breathtaking on the Vire and ''Rue Torteron''. *The ''Plage Verte'' [Green Beach]: A green space created in 2001 on part of the old tangue wharf in the vicinity of the River Vire, between the ramparts and the railway station. The modern Henri Liébard footbridge connects the two banks of the river roughly at the location of the former which had been destroyed during the bombing of June 1944. It is also the setting of the festival of the Vire which is held annually during the last weekend of June. It also allows access to the piers for boat tours. *The islands of the river Vire: Lebroussois island and Möselman Island are separated by the weir. An arboretum has been planted at the foot of the brick chimney, only remnant of the paper mill which was burned in the 1930s. *The towpath: Between the station and the Rocreuil bridge, many Saint-Lô people walk, do their jogging and cycling there. One can see the Château de la Vaucelle. *The Valley of the Dollée: At the foot of the ''Route de Lison'', there is a mill race and a watermill and a fitness trail. It is also part of the festival of ''"hétéroclites"''. *The Boisjugan Urban Park: A green area linking the new subdivisions, which border it, and the old farmland property of the city which borders the south ring road. This landscape with an area of is located behind the Museum of the Norman Bocage, of the Aquatic Centre and in the immediate vicinity of the golf course. It includes green spaces with ponds and wetlands, crossed by stone walkways overlooking the old paths, all exclusively for walkers. There is also a playground for children and a fitness trail. *The village of : In the middle of the Saint-Lô bocage, Le Hutrel has a village festival, in its square, every year on Feast of the Ascension, Ascension Thursday. *The park of the Haras de Saint-Lô: Park and gardens protected as historical monuments since 18 February 1993. The city has also two according to th
CAUE 50
that are a Magnolia × soulangeana, saucer magnolia, located in a courtyard of the ''Rue du Neufbourg'', and a Sequoiadendron giganteum, giant sequoia, located in the courtyard of the district school, on ''Rue du Général Dagobert''.

Twinning programmes and sponsorship

The town of Saint-Lô is twinned with: * Saint-Ghislain, Belgium, since 9 September 1962 * Aalen, Germany, since 3 June 1979 * Christchurch, Dorset, Christchurch, since 20 April 1985 * Kervénanec, Lorient, France, since 11 September 1988 * Roanoke, Virginia, Roanoke, USA, since 19 June 1999 Saint-Lô is the sponsor of the patrol vessel , a P400-class patrol vessel of the French Navy, intended for protection tasks of exclusive economic zones or public service.

Philately

A French Postage stamp, stamp representing the coat of arms of the city was issued on 17 December 1966, the stamp was the sixth of the ''Arms of cities'' series. Its face value was 20 centimes. It was designed by Mireille Louis.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

Town council website

The heroic and painful memory of the summer of 1944
(In French)

(In French)
Map of the commune in 1749

Old views of Saint-Lô on the site of the Manche archives
(In French) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saintlo Communes of Manche Prefectures in France Razed cities