Caen (canton of Caen, Calvados) Church of Saint-Michel-de-Vaucelles

    The date of the foundation of the parish of St Michel, on the right bank of the Orne is not accurately known. The cult of St Michel grew during the Carolingian period and the development of the Caen parishes took place between the mid 10th century and the beginning of the reign of William the Conqueror.

The existence of a church of St Michel in Vaucelles is attested from the period of William who gave its patronage and tithes to the Abbey of St Etienne in Caen.

The current church retains a Romanesque tower from the 12th century, and, as at St Etienne, has arches which at each stage (there are three) become more the decorative than in the one below. It is topped by a pyramidal spire of the 14th century.

The nave and the choir were re-built in the 15th and 16th centuries. The façade is classical (1780) with a triangular pediment with Doric columns topped by an octagonal tower.

Bibliography

- Caen, cité médiévale : bilan d'archéologie et d'histoire / Christophe Collet ; Pascal Leroux ; Jean-Yves Marin. - Caen : Musée de Normandie, 1995.
- Gouhier, Pierre. - Caen. - Editions Horvath, 1986.