Sées () is a commune in the

Orne Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.department in north-western France. It is classed as a Petite Cité de Caractère.

Geography

The commune is spread over an area of with a maximum altitude of and minimum of It lies on the river

Orne Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Alençon Alençon (, , ; ) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. It is situated between Paris and Rennes (about west of Paris) and a little over north of Le Mans. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alen� ...

. Sées station has rail connections to Argentan, Caen and Le Mans. Sées along with another 65 communes is part of a 20,593 hectare,

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

conservation area, called the Haute vallée de l'Orne et affluents.

Land distribution

The 2018

CORINE Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) is a European programme initiated in 1985 by the European Commission, aimed at gathering information relating to the environment on certain priority topics for the European Union (air, water ...

Land Cover assessment shows the vast majority of the land in the commune, 59% () is

Arable land Arable land (from the , "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the purposes of a ...

. The rest of the land is

Meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable condition ...

at 29%, Urbanised areas cover 5%, Industrial and commercial areas are 3% and the remaining 4% () is Forest.

Name

The town's name derives from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''(civitas) Sagiensis'' "city of the '' Sagii''", a Gaulish tribe that turned it into its capital city. The traditional spelling was Séez, which has been retained by the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

; the Diocese of Séez is headed by the Bishop of Séez. However, the spelling Sées was adopted for the town by the civil authorities following

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's successful Italian campaign of 1796–7, one result of which was to bring another (

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

an) Séez into France.

History

The first

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Sées was St Lain, who lived about the fourth century. In the ninth century, Sées was a

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

ified town and fell prey to the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

. At that period Sées had two distinct parts: the Orne: the bishop's

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

to the north and the new count's borough (Bourg le Comte) to the south. The counts of Alençon took control in 1356. It was captured and recaptured in the wars between

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with the ...

and his sons. In the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

it was one of the first towns 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 ...

to fall into the hands of the English, in 1418. Pillaged by the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

s during the Wars of Religion, Sées attached itself to the Catholic League in 1589, but voluntarily surrendered to

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

in 1590.

Heraldry

Population

Points of interest

Sées Cathedral

Sées Cathedral is a Gothic cathedral that is the

episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

of the Diocese of Séez. The cathedral dates from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and occupies the site of three earlier churches. The west front, which is obscured by the

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...

es flying from it, has two stately

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

s of open work high. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was built towards the end of the thirteenth century. The

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

, built soon afterwards, is remarkable for the lightness of its construction. In the choir are four

bas-reliefs Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

of great beauty representing scenes in the life of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

; and the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

is adorned with another depicting the removal of the

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s of St. Gervais and St. Protais. The church has been the object of frequent restoration and

reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

. In 1875 it was declared a ''

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 collection of buildings, ...

''.

National heritage sites

In addition to the cathedral, Sées has nine other buildings and areas listed as a ''

.'' *Palais d'Argentré built in 1778 is the former Bishopric of Diocese of Séez, it was listed as a monument in 1908. *Notre-Dame-du-Vivier church is the remains of a former thirteenth-century church, that would have been the first place of worship in Sées. It was registered as a monument in 1975 *chapter house a former

chapter house A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...

built in the fifteenth century, that was registered as a monument in 1972 *Saint-Martin Abbey a former

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

dating from the sixth century, by monks from the

Abbey of Saint-Evroul Ouche Abbey or the Abbey of Saint-Evroul (; ) is a former Rule of St. Benedict, Benedictine abbey in Normandy, located in the present commune of Saint-Evroult-Notre-Dame-du-Bois, Saint-Évroult-Notre-Dame-du-Bois, Orne, Normandy. It has been clas ...

. The abbey consists of twelfth- and seventeenth-century components, and was listed in 1968 *Canonical chapel a former chapel, just north of the cathedral, dating back to the thirteenth century and registered as a monument in 1939 *Butte Saint-Pierre castle mound a former eleventh-century fortification with a 40-metre diameter base it was registered as a monument in 1996 *Hotel of Count Curial a former sixteenth-century hotel and listed as a monument in 1937 *grain Market was built in the nineteenth century and listed in 1980 *Chapel of the Immaculate Conception built between 1854 and 1859, it was designed by Victor Ruprich-Robert. The church was registered as a monument in 2006.

Museums

*Musée départemental d'art religieux de Sées is a museum dedicated to showcasing religious art. It was first opened in 1969 and is based in the old chapter of the cathedral, it houses over 2000 pieces.

Transport

Sées station has rail connections to

Argentan Argentan () is a commune and the seat of two cantons and of an arrondissement in the Orne department in northwestern France. As of 2019, Argentan is the third largest municipality by population in the Orne department.

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

and Flers.

Notable people

* Latuinus – (died 440) – first bishop of Séez * Landry of Sées – (died 480) – a French

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

and

of Séez. * Litardus – was a bishop of Sees from the first half of the sixth century. * Adelin of Séez – (died 910) a bishop of Sees * Sigefroi – eleventh-century bishop of Sees. * Radbod of Seez – eleventh-century bishop of Sees. * Ivo of Bellême (died c.1070) – bishop of Sees. *

Saint Osmund Osmund (died 3 December 1099), Count of Sées, was a Norman noble and clergyman. Following the Norman conquest of England, he served as Lord Chancellor (–1078) and as the second bishop of Salisbury, or Old Sarum. Life Osmund, a nati ...

– (died 1099) a Norman

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

and

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

was born here. * Marthe Cosnard – (1614–1659) a seventeenth-century French playwright was born here. * Jacques Du Frische – (1640–1693) a French

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

theologian was born here * Guillaume-André-Réné Baston – (1741–1825) a French theologian, who was bishop of Sees from 1813 to 1814. * Charles de Bernard de Marigny (1740–1816) a French vice admiral, grand-cross of the ordre de Saint-Louis and commander of the Brest fleet was born here. * Auguste-François Maunoury (1811–1898) a Catholic Hellenist and

exegete Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...

died here. * Charles Porset (1944–2011) a writer and historian was born here * Jean-Claude Boulanger (born 1945) – was bishop of sees.

Twin towns – sister cities

Sées is twinned with: * Tönisvorst, Germany * Staré Město, Czech Republic

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sees Communes of Orne Gallia Lugdunensis Museums in Orne Monuments historiques of Orne