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44-789: The concurrent founding of the Abbey of Saint-Étienne to the west of the Caen Castle and the Abbey of Sainte-Trinité (Abbaye aux Dames) to its East were to enhance the development of the new ducal capital, and may have been a result of the reconciliation process of William, Duke of Normandy (soon after to become William I, King of England ), and Pope Leo IX . William fell out with the pope when he married his cousin Matilda of Flanders after 1049 despite Leo's interdiction. Lanfranc of Pavia , Prior of Bec Abbey , who himself had initially expressed concerns regarding

88-580: A Monument historique since 1997. The castle was built c.  1060 by William the Conqueror (William of Normandy), who successfully conquered England in 1066. His son Henry I then built the Saint George's church, a keep (1123) and a large hall for the ducal Court. On Christmas 1182, a royal court celebration for Christmas in the Aula of Caen Castle brought together Henry II and his sons, Richard

132-631: A consequence of the Wars of Religion , the high lantern tower in the middle of the church collapsed and was never rebuilt. The Benedictine abbey was suppressed during the French Revolution and the abbey church became a parish church. From 1804 to 1961, the abbey buildings accommodated a prestigious high school, the Lycée Malherbe. During the Normandy Landings , inhabitants of Caen found refuge in

176-629: A minor settlement throughout the Roman period and began to see major development commence in the 10th century, under the patronage of the Dukes of Normandy. Around 1060, William the Conqueror began construction of the Château de Caen , which became the centre of the ducal court. Duchess Matilda of Flanders also founded the Benedictine Abbey of Sainte-Trinité, Caen around the same time, eventually being buried in

220-442: A powder magazine and two walls of a forge of the 14th century. Traces of the stables have also been found. The base of the keep has been cleared, and people are still working on excavations around it. 49°11′11″N 0°21′46″W  /  49.18639°N 0.36278°W  / 49.18639; -0.36278 Caen Caen ( UK : / ˈ k ɒ̃ ˈ k ɒ n / ; French: [kɑ̃] ; Norman : Kaem )

264-527: Is a commune 15 km (9.3 mi) inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados . The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (as of 2018 ), while its functional urban area has 470,000, making Caen the second largest urban area in Normandy and the 19th largest in France. It is also the third largest commune in all of Normandy after Le Havre and Rouen . It

308-503: Is known for its historical buildings built during the reign of William the Conqueror , who was buried there, and for the Battle for Caen , heavy fighting that took place in and around Caen during the Battle of Normandy in 1944, destroying much of the city. The city has now preserved the memory by erecting a memorial and a museum dedicated to peace, the Mémorial de Caen . The first references to

352-597: Is located 200 km (120 mi) northwest of Paris, connected to the South of England by the Caen ( Ouistreham ) to Portsmouth ferry route through the English Channel . Situated a few miles from the coast, the landing beaches, the bustling resorts of Deauville and Cabourg , as well as Norman Switzerland and the Pays d'Auge , Caen is often considered the archetype of Normandy. Caen

396-509: Is somewhat ameliorated due to its slightly inland position. In spite of this, summers are still cool by French standards and the climate is typically maritime in terms of high precipitation, relatively modest sunshine hours and mild winters. The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Caen proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Caen absorbed the former commune of Venoix in 1952. The castle, Château de Caen , built c.  1060 by William

440-499: Is the home of the Baroque musical ensemble Les Arts Florissants . The organization was founded by conductor William Christie in 1979 and derives its name from the 1685 opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier . Caen was the birthplace or origin of: Caen is twinned with: From 1947 to 2006, Caen was a stage of the Tour de France a total of 15 times. Further, Caen was one of the hosts of

484-602: The Caen Guided Light Transit ( French : TVR de Caen but known locally as the "tram"), a guided trolleybus network which operated from 2002 to 2017, which was closed due to reliability issues. The city previously had a tramway which operated from 1860 to 1937. Caen also had several main and branch railway lines linking Caen railway station ( French : Gare de Caen ) to all parts of Normandy with lines to Paris , Vire , Flers , Cabourg , Houlgate , Deauville , Saint-Lô , Bayeux and Cherbourg . Now

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528-603: The EuroBasket 1983 . The city has a football team, SM Caen , who as of 2024 are owned by superstar footballer Kylian Mbappé . The Drakkars de Caen play ice hockey in the FFHG Division 1 . In 2014, Caen was the location of the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games . Current arms: Gules, a single-towered open castle Or, windowed and masoned sable. Under the Ancien Régime : Per fess, gules and azure, 3 fleurs de lys Or. During

572-506: The First French Empire : Gules, a single-towered castle Or, a chief of Good Imperial Cities (gules, 3 bees Or). Today, Caen has no motto, but it used to have one, which did not survive the French Revolution . As a result, its spelling is archaic and has not been updated: Un Dieu, un Roy, une Foy, une Loy. (One God, one King, one Faith, one Law.) This motto is reflected in a notable old Chant royal . Caen's home port code

616-465: The Gothic . The original Romanesque apse was replaced in 1166 by an early Gothic chevet , complete with rose windows and flying buttresses . Nine towers and spires were added in the 13th century. The interior vaulting shows a similar progression, beginning with early sexpartite vaulting (using circular ribs) in the nave and progressing to quadripartite vaults (using pointed ribs) in the sanctuary. As

660-616: The A84 is a toll-free motorway. The city is encircled by the N814 ring-road (Boulevard Périphérique) that was completed in the late 1990s. The N13 connects Caen to Cherbourg and to Paris. A section of the former N13 (Caen-Paris) is now D613 (in Calvados) following road renumbering. The Boulevard Périphérique includes a viaduct called the Viaduc de Calix that goes over the canal and River Orne . The canal links

704-457: The Abbaye aux Dames, was destroyed. William's bones were scattered and lost, with the exception of one thigh bone. This lone relic was reburied in 1642 with a new marker, which was replaced 100 years later with a more elaborate monument. This tomb was again destroyed during the French Revolution , but was eventually replaced with the current early 19th-century ledger stone in white marble. The abbey

748-463: The British Second Army fought the battle of Caen to dislodge German forces from the city. During the battle, Allied bombing raids heavily damaged the city and caused numerous French civilian casualties. After the battle, little of prewar Caen remained, and reconstruction efforts in the city continued until 1962. Postwar work included the reconstruction of complete districts of the city and

792-497: The Conqueror, who successfully conquered England in 1066, is one of the largest medieval fortresses of Western Europe. It remained an essential feature of Norman strategy and policy. At Christmas 1182, a royal court celebration for Christmas in the aula of Caen Castle brought together Henry II and his sons, Richard the Lionheart and John Lackland , receiving more than a thousand knights. Caen Castle, along with all of Normandy,

836-599: The Lionheart and John Lackland , receiving more than a thousand knights. Caen Castle, along with all of Normandy, was recaptured by the French Crown in 1204 . Philip II reinforced the fortifications . The castle saw several engagements during the Hundred Years' War ( 1346 , 1417 , 1450 ). The keep was pulled down in 1793 during the French Revolution , by order of the National Convention . The castle, which

880-597: The SNCF operates the Paris-Caen-Cherbourg, Caen-Rouen, Caen- Le Mans -Tours, Caen- Rennes services and some others small lines, while Railcoop will soon open new lines such as Lille-Amiens-Rouen-Caen-Rennes-Nantes and Paris-Caen-Brest making Caen railway station its north-western hub. Caen station is the second busiest in Normandy, after Rouen station. Caen - Carpiquet Airport is the biggest airport in Normandy considering

924-477: The abbey. Caen succeeded Bayeux as the capital of Lower Normandy , complementing the second ducal capital of Rouen . Caen fell to Philip II of France on 21 May 1204, and was incorporated along with the remainder of Normandy into the Kingdom of France. In 1346, King Edward III of England led his army against the city, hoping to loot it. It was expected that a siege of perhaps several weeks would be required, but

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968-496: The army took the city in less than a day, on 26 July 1346, storming and sacking it , killing 3,000 of its citizens, and burning much of the merchants' quarter on the Île St-Jean. Only the castle of Caen held out, despite attempts to besiege it. A few days later, the English left, marching to the east and on to their victory at the Battle of Crécy . It was later captured following a siege by Henry V in 1417 and treated harshly for being

1012-411: The bishops and abbots of Normandy as well as his son Henry , was disturbed by the assertion of a citizen of Caen who alleged that his family had been illegally despoiled of the land on which the church was built. After hurried consultations the allegation was shown to be true, and the man was compensated. A further indignity occurred when the corpse was lowered into the tomb. The corpse was too large for

1056-463: The centre of the area. The castle was constructed on a hillock and is now in the middle of the city. With an area of 5.5 hectares, it is one of the largest castles in Western Europe. It remained an essential feature of Norman strategy and policy. Today, the castle serves as a museum that houses The keep , now razed, had a large square section with round towers at each corner. As the castle, it

1100-517: The church; on the rooftop there was a red cross, made with blood on a sheet, to show that it was a hospital (to avoid bombings). 49°10′54″N 0°22′22″W  /  49.18167°N 0.37278°W  / 49.18167; -0.37278 Ch%C3%A2teau de Caen The Château de Caen is a castle in the Norman city of Caen in the Calvados département ( Normandy ). It has been officially classed as

1144-529: The city to the sea to permit cargo ships and ferries to dock in the port of Caen . Ferries which have docked include the Quiberon and the Duc de Normandie . The agricultural and food-processing Agrial cooperative has its head office in Caen. Agrial group processes vegetables , cider apples , milk , poultry and meat with the help of its 12,000 employees and all its partners. The Théâtre de Caen (1963)

1188-474: The city's recovery efforts. The resulting film, You Can't Kill a City , is preserved in the National Archives of Canada . Caen is in an area of high humidity. The river Orne flows through the city, as well as small rivers known as les Odons , most of which have been buried under the city to improve urban hygiene. Caen has a large flood zone, named "La prairie", located around the hippodrome, not far from

1232-425: The first town to put up any resistance to his invasion. In 1450 towards the end of the war, French forces recaptured Caen . During World War II , Caen was captured by German forces during the Battle of France in 1940 and placed under military occupation . In 1944, Allied forces launched Operation Overlord , invading German-occupied France and rapidly advancing through Normandy . From 6 June to 6 August 1944,

1276-422: The latter making crossing from March to November. The ferry terminal is 15 km (9.3 mi) from Caen with a daytime shuttle bus service for foot passengers. There is also a cyclist road from Caen to Ouistreham. Caen is connected to the rest of France by motorways to Paris ( A13 ), Brittany and Southern France ( A84 ) and to Le Mans and central France ( A88 – A28 ). The A13 and A88 are toll roads while

1320-584: The marriage, acted on William's behalf to secure Leo's forgiveness. For this successful service, Lanfranc was made abbot of Saint-Étienne, a position he held until his appointment to Canterbury in 1070. The dedication took place in 1077. William's wife Matilda died in 1083 and was buried in the Abbaye aux Dames. After his own death in 1087 in Rouen , the body of King William was sent to Caen to be buried in Saint-Étienne, according to his wishes. The funeral, attended by

1364-571: The name of Caen are found in different acts of the dukes of Normandy : Cadon 1021/1025, Cadumus 1025, Cathim 1026/1027. Year 1070 of the Parker manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle refers to Caen as Kadum , and year 1086 of the Laud manuscript gives the name as Caþum . Despite a lack of sources as to the origin of the settlements, the name Caen would seem to be of Gaulish origin, from

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1408-686: The number of passengers and flights that it serves every year. Most flights are operated by HOP! , Volotea and the French national airline Air France operates flights to the French cities of Lyon , Nice, Toulouse, Montpellier, Marseille, Biarritz, Ajaccio, Figari, Bastia and Calvi. Caen is served by the large port of Ouistreham , lying at the mouth of the Caen Canal where it meets the English Channel . A cruise/ferry service operates between Portsmouth , England, and Caen/Ouistreham running both standard roll-on-roll-off car ferries and supercat fast ferries, with

1452-505: The original on 13 February 2006 . Retrieved 28 August 2004 . ) In repentance for marrying his cousin Mathilda of Flanders , William ordered two abbeys to be built on the Pope 's encouragement: Mayors of Caen have included: Joël Bruneau was re-elected mayor in the 2020 municipal elections . In 1952, the small commune of Venoix became part of Caen. In 1990, the agglomeration of Caen

1496-548: The river Orne, which is regularly submerged. Caen is 10 km (6.2 mi) from the Channel . A canal ( Canal de Caen à la Mer ) parallel to the Orne was built during the reign of Napoleon III to link the city to the sea at all times. The canal reaches the English Channel at Ouistreham . A lock keeps the tide out of the canal and lets large ships navigate up the canal to Caen's freshwater harbours. Caen has an oceanic climate that

1540-516: The space, and when attendants forced the body into the tomb it burst, spreading a disgusting odour throughout the church. William's tomb has been disturbed several times since 1087, the first time in 1522 when the grave was opened on orders from the papacy. The intact body was restored to the tomb at that time. In 1562, during the French Wars of Religion , the grave was again opened and the original tombstone of black marble, similar to that of Matilda in

1584-447: The town of Caen has undertaken the restoration of the ramparts, with the financial help of the ERDF (consolidation, opening of arrow slits walled-up during the 19th century) . 6,000 m³ of earth are being removed, in order to give a better view of the north-west wall of the 12th century. This operation has revealed the cellar of a private house of the 15th century which still has its firehouse,

1628-503: The university campus. It took 14 years (1948–1962) and led to the current urbanization of Caen. Having lost many of its historic quarters and its university campus in the war, Caen does not have the atmosphere of a traditional Norman town such as Honfleur , Rouen , Cabourg , Deauville or Bayeux . The Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit filmed the D-Day offensive and Orne breakout several weeks later. It returned several months later to document

1672-470: The words catu- , referring to military activities and magos , field, hence meaning "manoeuvre field" or "battlefield". In Layamon 's Brut , the poet asserts that King Arthur named the city in memory of Sir Kay , although the historicity of King Arthur is widely doubted. Caen was known in Roman times as 'Catumagos', from the Gaulish roots magos meaning 'field' and catu meaning 'combat'. It remained

1716-443: Was a part of 9 cantons , of which it was the chief town. These cantons contained a total of 13 towns. Caen gave its name to a 10th canton, of which it was not part. Since the 2015 canton reorganization, Caen is part of the cantons of Caen-1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 . Twisto is the urban transport network of Caen, including about sixty bus lines and 3 tramway lines. The present tram network officially opened on 27 July 2019 replacing

1760-456: Was also surrounded by a moat . The dry moat still provides a circuit for walkers. The top of the ramparts offers a splendid view of Caen. Some parts of the curtain walls were built during the 12th century, but most of them date from the 15th century. The castle has two main entrances: the porte sur la ville ('gateway to the town') and the porte des champs ('gateway to the fields'); they are reinforced by two barbicans . Since March 2004,

1804-766: Was handed over to the French Crown in 1204. The castle saw several engagements during the Hundred Years' War (1346, 1417, 1450) and was in use as a barracks as late as the Second World War. Bullet holes are visible on the walls of the castle where members of the French Resistance were shot during the Second World War. Today, the castle serves as a museum that houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen (Museum of Fine Arts of Caen) and Musée de Normandie (Museum of Normandy) along with many periodical exhibitions about arts and history. (See "Timeline of Caen Castle" . Archived from

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1848-491: Was organized into a district, transformed in 2002 into a Communauté d'agglomération ( Grand Caen (Greater Caen), renamed Caen la Mer in 2004), gathers 29 towns and villages, including Villons-les-Buissons , Lion-sur-Mer , Hermanville-sur-Mer , which joined the Communauté d'agglomération in 2004. The population of the "communauté d'agglomération" is around 220,000 inhabitants. In the former administrative organisation, Caen

1892-486: Was to be built in Caen stone , and construction began in 1066. For many decades during the 11th century, there was a mutually fruitful competition between Saint-Étienne and its sister building Sainte-Trinité. The west façade was built at the end of the 11th century. An important feature added to both churches in about 1120 was the ribbed vault , used for the first time in France. The two abbey churches are considered forerunners of

1936-412: Was used as a barracks during World War II , was bombed in 1944 and seriously damaged. In 1946, Michel de Boüard, an archeologist from Caen, decided to start excavations in the area of the castle to bring to the light medieval traces. The Musée des Beaux-Arts , which was installed in 1967, opened in 1971. Now, you can gain access to a pass and tour the large castle, and visit the university located in

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