Caen, church of Saint-Etienne-le-Vieux.
The
church of Saint-Etienne le Vieux is attested in 1066 but was probably in
existence before this date. The epithet "le Vieux" [the Old] would
have been given to the church during the creation of the Abbaye aux Hommes
[male abbey] in 1065 of which the abbey church is also dedicated to
Saint-Etienne. The Romanesque church of which no elements remain standing,
took the full brunt of the English sieges in 1346 and 1417. It was rebuilt
after the Hundred Years War, and the works funded by numerous benefactors were
still not completed by the beginning of the 16th century. Having
fallen into disuse in the time of the Revolution, it became a stable for the
Lorge barracks. It was saved from demolition by Arcisse de Caumont in 1847,
and was badly damaged in the bombing of 1944.
Caen, church of Saint-Etienne-le-Vieux : lapidary
fragments
The bequest of the Musée de
la Société des Antiquaires de Normandie (Museum of the Society of
Antiquaries of Normandy)