Cerisy-la-Forêt () is a commune in 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 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 ...

in north-western

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 ...

. It had a population of 1,036 inhabitants in 2019 and possesses an important environmental and architectural heritage. The area has been occupied since ancient times and is linked to the sixth-century founding of the

Saint-Vigor Saint-Vigor () is a Communes of France, commune in the Eure Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Eure department References

Comm ...

Abbey which flourished in the eleventh century. The commune encompasses 2,300 hectares which include Château de la Boulaye, Château de la Couespellière, and manor houses. it is bordered by

Cerisy forest Cerisy Forest (''forêt de Cerisy'' or ''forêt de Balleroy'') is a beech woodland (75% of the land), located in the French Calvados and Manche departments. Since 1976 it has been a national nature reserve managed by the National Forests Offic ...

Geography

Cerisy-la-Forêt is east of the and west of

Bessin Bessin () is an area 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 Norman ...

, to which it was attached in antiquity. It occupies the extreme north of the

Massif Armoricain 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 ...

, an area of dairy farms. Wooded areas, wetlands,meadows, and pastures with hedges comprise the landscape. The nearest stations are

Gare de Lison Gare is the word for "station" in French and related languages, commonly meaning railway station Gare can refer to: People * Gare (surname), surname * The Gare Family, fictional characters in the novel '' Wild Geese'' by Martha Ostenso Places * ...

and Gare de Le Molay-Littry. The village is located 13.4 km northeast of

Saint-Lô Saint-Lô (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy.Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

and offering an unobstructed panorama of Cerisy Forest a kilometer away.

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 ...

is 18 kilometers directly east,

Saint-Lô Saint-Lô (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy.département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

, is 14 km to the south-west, and

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 ...

is 42 km to the east.

Geology

Cerisy-la-Forêt's

subsoil Subsoil is the layer of soil under the topsoil on the surface of the ground. Like topsoil, it is composed of a variable mixture of small particles such as sand, silt and clay, but with a much lower percentage of organic matter and humus. The su ...

dates from the

Proterozoic The Proterozoic ( ) is the third of the four geologic eons of Earth's history, spanning the time interval from 2500 to 538.8 Mya, and is the longest eon of Earth's geologic time scale. It is preceded by the Archean and followed by the Phanerozo ...

geological period. The Armorican Massif, to the south-west, is a deposit made up of clays,

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 ...

s, gravels, and granite. The altitude of the village ranges between 34 meters and 131 meters. The small hill called "Vieux Graviers", located at the edge of Cerisy-la-Forêt, is the highest point.

Hydrography

The commune is completely within 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 ...

basin. Nearby to the north is the basin of the tributary Esque River and to the south is the Elle River basin. The " Cerisy National Forest," a national nature reserve, is also protected as a nature area of habitat, botanical and zoologic interest ("

zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique A Zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique (Natural area of ecological, faunal and floristic interest), abbreviated as ZNIEFF, is a type of natural environment recognized by France. The inventory of a ZNIEFF area is an i ...

," or ZNEIFF) under the name "forêt de Cerisy" and managed by the "

Office national des forêts The National Forests Office (), or ONF, is a Government of France agency that manages the state forests, city forests and biological reserves. ONF is based in Paris. The office is responsible for the sustainable management of France's approxi ...

Climate

The climate is

oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...

, with an annual rainfall close to 900mm. Rains are fairly frequent throughout the year but more abundant in autumn and winter due to disturbances 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 are often

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 ...

s. The northwest wind also brings rapid climate changes in which sunshine and heavy showers can succeed one another separated by only a few hours. The average temperature is 10 °C. In winter, the average temperature oscillates between 1 °C and 7 °C with between 30 and 40 days of frost per year. In summer, the average temperature is around 20 °C. Cerisy-la-Forêt does not have a weather station; the closest one is that of Caen-Carpiquet.

Name

'Cerisy-la-Forêt' is often referred to as 'Cerisy'. The name's origin is undocumented and undetermined. "Cerise" is the French word for "cherry," and at one time this was thought to be the origin. However, the ancient word for "cherry orchard" would have evolved into a modern name like "Cerisay" or "Cerise." Current thought is that the area bears the name of an ancient

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

who owned it and might have been called ''Cerisius or Cesarius.'' One of the oldest mentions of the place dates from the 9th century when one of the Dukes of Normandy called it ''Cerasiacus'' in a charter''.'' Under the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

its name referred to the abbey: ''abbatia Cerasii'' in 1042; ''abbas de Cereseio'' in 1351. The name was changed after the French Revolution to Cerisy-la-Forêt to refer to the nearby Cerisy Forest.

History

Ancient history

Cerisy was first settled as an

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (: ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age Europe, Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celts, Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread acros ...

, the ruins of which remain outside the town. The Romans built 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 ...

to guard the

Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

that ran through the valley.

Middle Ages

The earliest mention of Cerisy-la-Forêt dates back to the 6th century when

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

began to

Christianize Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...

. Vigor, one of the first

evangelists Evangelist(s) may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a ...

in the region, received from

Volusian Gaius Vibius Volusianus (Latin: ''Gaius Vibius Afinius Gallus Veldumnianus Volusianus''; died August 253), commonly called Volusian, was a Roman emperor from 251 to 253, ruling with his father Trebonianus Gallus. After Emperor Decius and his ...

, the local lord, twenty-five villages as thanks for having rid the region of a "horrible serpent that put to death men and animals". Around 510 AD he built a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

dedicated to

St. Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. He appears repe ...

and

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

on the site of what had been a

Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

holy site. Vigor's monastery was destroyed when

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� ...

invaded

Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the Early Middle Ages, in contrast to the eastern Frankish kingdom, Austrasia. It initially included land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, in the north of present-day ...

in the 9th century. They plundered

in 891 and King Charles III the Simple gave

Rollo Rollo (, ''Rolloun''; ; ; – 933), also known with his epithet, Rollo "the Walker", was a Viking who, as Count of Rouen, became the first ruler of Normandy, a region in today's northern France. He was prominent among the Vikings who Siege o ...

the countries of the lower Seine in the

Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte The treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte (911) is the foundational document of the Duchy of Normandy, establishing Rollo, a Norse warlord and Viking leader, as the first Duke of Normandy in exchange for his loyalty to Charles III, the king of West Fra ...

in 911, and then

in 924.

Cerisy became an important market town under 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 ...

who build Cerisy Abbey. The abbey went on to consist of forty-eight

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es and eight priories, including two in England (

Sherborne Sherborne is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in north west Dorset, in South West England. It is sited on the River Yeo (South Somerset), River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The parish include ...

and

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

). Dependent on the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

, Cerisy maintained close relations with monasteries in

Mont-Saint-Michel Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. The island lies approximately off France's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is in ...

, Saint-Ouen,

Jumièges Jumièges () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in north-western France. Geography A forestry and farming village situated in a meander of the river Seine, some west of Rouen, at the junction of the D 65 and t ...

Le Bec-Hellouin Le Bec-Hellouin () is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Eure in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region in northern France. It is best known for Bec Abbey and has recently ...

Fécamp Fécamp () is a commune in the northwestern French department of Seine-Maritime. Geography Fécamp is situated in the valley of the river Valmont, at the heart of the Pays de Caux, on the Alabaster Coast. It is around northeast of Le Havre, ...

and of course

. In 1337, the dynastic rivalries between the Valois and the

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 their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...

precipitated 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 ...

, plunging the country into misery aggravated by

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infection ...

s of plague. The Abbey of Saint-Vigor de Cerisy was fortified and a garrison settled there. In 1418 Richard de Silly, knight and captain of the abbey, was obliged to cede the abbey to the King of England. However, after the victory of the constable de Richemont over the English at the

Battle of Formigny The Battle of Formigny, fought on 15 April 1450, took place towards the end of the Hundred Years' War between England and France. It was a decisive French victory that destroyed the last significant English field army in Normandy, and paved th ...

in 1450, Normandy returned definitively to the

kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

Modern history

The death certificates of several soldiers recorded in the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as records of their marriages and the baptisms of their children, leave evidence that

maréchaussée The were corps of soldiers in the armies of France initially put in charge of military policing and justice during the Middle Ages, and later extended to civilian responsibilities. They gradually coalesced into a police force with jurisdictio ...

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

was based in the village and a prison established on the abbey farm. These ''maréchaux'' were housed in the abbey enclosure with the judges who dispensed justice. The hall of justice and its adjoining cell have withstood the test of time, suffering invasion and fire. All that remains of the maréchaussée prison is the lintel over the entrance which reads, "''Tremblez, tremblez diables d'enfer, aussitôt qu'en prison on vous traînera, vos bras seront liés de lourdes chaines de fer et vous les porterez tels et vous apprendrez à chicaner" (''"Tremble, tremble you devils of hell. As soon as we drag you to prison, your arms will be bound with heavy iron chains and you will wear them as such and you will learn to quibble"). The

confessional A confessional is a box, cabinet, booth, or stall where the priest from some Christian denominations sits to hear the confessions of a penitent's sins. It is the traditional venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church and the Luther ...

is adjacent to the courtroom and the abbey cell. The numerous graffiti appear on the walls in two bands. The lower indicating that in the 16th century the prisoners actually did wear "heavy iron chains" which allowed them to only carve simple shapes at a low height. In the 17th century, prisoners were unchained and had more freedom to move about the cell. The straw that had always been thrown in the cell to cover the floor was never removed. It built up layers that covered and protected the lower graffiti of the restricted, earlier prisoners. The higher graffiti is more elaborate and expressive.

Modern era

During the

Second World War 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 ...

, Cerisy-la-Forêt sheltered

refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

s from

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 ...

. On 2 July 1944

General Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

and

Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (12 February 1893 – 8 April 1981) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He wa ...

came to encourage the 2nd Infantry Division at the .

The Battle of Moulin des Rondelles

On 12 June 1944 the 2nd Infantry Division was ordered to cross the Elle river. When they reached the east bank, they encountered German resistance, which foreshadowed the end of the rapid advance begun on 7 June 1944. It was a small easily crossed river, but its crossing was difficult. A first attempt was stopped by machine-gun and mortar fire from the west bank. On 13 June 1944 the men of Company C of the 38th Infantry Regiment were ordered to cross the river at this point. The first attempt in the morning failed and it was only in the afternoon after the second offensive that they succeeded in reaching the other bank. Ten men of Company C were killed and 23 others wounded in the fighting. The total losses of the 2nd Infantry Division during the two days of combat amounted to 540 killed, wounded or missing in action. During the second attack of Company C on 13 June 1944, the men were stopped by machine gun fire. German mortars began to adjust their fire on the American position. Advancing under mortars of their own, the men of C Company were successful in clearing out the area.

Gallery

file:Cerisy-la-foret rue halles 1920.png , Cerisy-la-Forêt, rue halles (1920) File:Chateau de l'abbaye 2.jpg, Chateau de l'Abbaye file:Cerisy-la-foret ecoles 1900.png , Cerisy-la-Forêt schools 1900 File:Libération de cerisy nouveau.jpg, Liberation of Cerisy Nouveau File:Eugène godin.jpg, Eugène Godin.