Self-guided tour of Saint-Samson Church
The Church of Saint-Samson, classified as Historical Monuments in 1840, on the list of P. Mérimée
Built in the twelfth century on the site of a primitive wooden church, destroyed during the Viking invasions, it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and the largest rural churches in France, indicating the importance of the village at the height of the ducal state. Its architecture and details are similar to the Caen monuments of the same period: the Abbaye-aux-Dames and the Abbaye-aux-Hommes. It remains an important witness to the expression of Romanesque art in Normandy whose characteristics are still legible on the entire monument. In the course of the centuries, it watched over the town and its inhabitants, fulfilling, in addition to its religious vocation, various other functions: fortified , it ensured the defence of the territory (watchtower) and the protection of seafarers by serving as a lighthouse, of the Bitter and Watchtower.