Avre
Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE), also known as Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers, is the title given to a series of armoured military engineering vehicles operated by the Royal Engineers (RE) for the purpose of protecting engineers duri ...
Eure
Eure ( ; ; or ) is a department in the administrative region of Normandy, northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2021, Eure had a population of 598,934.department in
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 ...
in northern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
Following the revolt of the nobles of 1118-1120, Verneuil-sur-Avre was founded in 1120 by Henry I, the fourth son of William the Conqueror. Some of the main rebels were Richer de l'Aigle, Robert de Neubourg and Eustace of Breteuil who all possessed territory in the surrounding area. Once these rebels submitted to Henry I, the fortifications in Verneuil-sur-Avre were intended to control the region.
In August 1424, during 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 ...
the battle of Verneuil was fought just to the north of the town. An English army of 9,000 men beat a joint Franco-Scottish army of 15,000 men and as a result gained control of Normandy and
Aquitaine
Aquitaine (, ; ; ; ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne (), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former Regions of France, administrative region. Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the administ ...
and destroyed Scottish participation in the war. The town was recaptured in 1449.
Main sights
There are several landmarks in Verneuil-sur-Avre that are worthy of interest:
* the ' (St Mary Magdalene Church, built between the 12th and 16th centuries), which was labelled 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 site) in 1862, has become the emblem of the city. Its tower is a well-known example of the late-gothic style (called Flamboyant Gothic Style, literally “flaming”). The tower culminates at 56 metres (approximately 61 yards), and is visible from the entire surrounding countryside and, in winter, from as far away as the
Chartres Cathedral
Chartres Cathedral (, lit. Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres) is a Catholic cathedral in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the List of bishops of Chartres, Bishop of Chartres. Dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary ( ...
. This building has been compared to the '' Tour du Beurre'' (“Tower of Butter”) of the Rouen Cathedral and the lantern-tower of the '' Abbaye Saint-Ouen de Rouen'' (St
Ouen
Audoin (; AD 609 – on 24 August 684), venerated as Saint Audoin, was a Frankish bishop, courtier, hagiographer and saint. He authored ''Vita Sancti Eligii'' which outlines the life and deeds of Eligius, his close friend and companion in the ro ...
Church), also in Rouen, despite being smaller. This tower is known to be one of the sources of inspiration for the ''
Tribune Tower
The Tribune Tower is a , 36-floor Gothic Revival architecture, neo-Gothic skyscraper located at 435 Magnificent Mile, North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The early 1920s international design competition for the tower bec ...
'' in Chicago, a 141-metre-high skyscraper built in 1925 (approximately 154 yards).
* the ''Eglise Notre-Dame'' (Notre-Dame Church, 12th-19th centuries)
* the ''Tour Grise'' (Grey Tower, 13th century) was erected by the French king
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 ...
. It was named for the stones used in its construction, which are brown and called “''grison''” (“gris” meaning “grey” in French).
* the ''Abbaye Saint-Nicolas'' (St Nicholas Abbey, 17th century)
* the ''Espace Saint-Laurent'' (St Lawrence Hall), a former church currently used as an exhibition hall
* the ruins of the ''Eglise Saint-Jean'' (St John Church), which was bombed during
WWII
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 ...
, in 1944
* the building that currently houses the '' Jerôme Carcopino'' Municipal Library (15th century), named for an historian from Verneuil-sur-Avre. This building has been labelled a “''monument historique''”.
Besides these landmarks, Verneuil-sur-Avre has examples of regional architectural style and half-timbered houses traditional to Normandy.
File:Verneuil-sur-Avre (27) Église de la Madeleine Tour.jpg, Tower of St Mary Magdalene Church
File:Verneuil sur Avre - Tour grise.jpg, Grey Tower
File:Verneuil-sur-Avre (27) Maison de la renaissance.jpg, Municipal Library building (15th century)
Demography
International relations
The town is twinned with
Stowmarket
Stowmarket ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England,OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket
Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton A2 edition. Publishing Date:2008. o ...
,
Suffolk
Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
,
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 ...
.
See also
*
Communes of the Eure department
The following is a list of the 585 communes of the Eure department of France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French G ...
*
Perche
Perche () (French: ''le Perche'') is a former Provinces of France, province of France, known historically for its forests and, for the past two centuries, for the Percheron draft horse, draft horse breed. Until the French Revolution, Perche was ...