Place Saint-Pierre (Caen)

Origins

The Saint-Pierre place remained a long time the true heart of the town of Caen. It is one of the oldest parishes of Caen; a church there was built as of the 7th century and bore the name of Saint-Pierre-of-Darnetal. This village developed near the junction of small the Odon and large the Odon, as well as arm of Orne, Noë. Towards 1060, William the Conqueror made build the first elements of a large fortress on the rocky outcrop which dominates the marshy valley where the Flowering ash and its affluents run. With the foot of the castle, the core of Caen, Borough-the-Duke or Borough-the-King , developed around the old village of Darnetal .

The Middle Ages

Under William the Conqueror, the city into full rise was closed by an enclosing wall; under the reign of Robert Courteheuse, his son, the Midsummer's Day district was also surrounded by a wall. The only passage between these two strengthened units was done by the Saint-Pierre bridge strengthened at the beginning of the 13th century. The people wanting to cross the city was obliged to pass on this bridge; since north, one entered the city by the door Saint-Julien, one descended the street Cattehoule (today street of Jail) to arrive at the Saint-Pierre crossroads where one joined the flood of circulation coming from main street Saint-Pierre which drained flows coming from the west entered the city by the Saint Martin's day door; one was to then cross the Saint-Pierre bridge, to descend the street Exmoisine (today street Midsummer's Day), to cross the Millet door, then the bridge of Vaucelles before moving towards the east by the street of Auge or towards the south by the street of Falaise. The place was not whereas a crossroads; between this one and the Saint-Pierre bridge, houses formed the street of the Exchange. On the other side of the Odon, in the parish Midsummer's Day, one also found the port, protected by the tower Leroy and the tower in Landais, connected between them by a chain.

Strong elements of centrality

Located in the middle of the city, with the junction of the Borough-the-King and of the Island Midsummer's Day , the Saint-Pierre district was regarded as most important and richest of the city and one found monuments of first importance there. the church Saint-Pierre was the largest religious building of Borough-the-King ; a particular care was thus taken to its development. Work spread out over several centuries but respected the overall unit which offers remarkable parts still today. The northern frontage was decorated at the 14th century with immense a Rosace of an extreme lightness. At the 14th century, one also built his famous Gothic Clocher , regarded as " the king of the bell-towers of Normandie". The high Side S and parts of the Nef were built at the 15th century in the blazing style. The Abside builds on Pilotis on the Odon was started towards 1518 and was undoubtedly finished a half-century later. Contrasting harmoniously with the remainder of the building, it is one of the most perfect examples of the first Caen-native Renaissance. It is in this church that were held the principal public ceremonies. Thus when Henri IV abjured the Protestant religion, putting thus fine at the wars of religion, it is in the Saint-Pierre church that was sung the Te Deum in the presence of the civil and religious representatives of all the city; crowd filled the church, the crossroads and the neighbouring streets. Since the 13th century, one also found there the municipal hotel , arranged in Châtelet built on the Saint-Pierre bridge. At the 14th century, it was destroyed during the catch of the city by Edouard III of England and was immediately rebuilt. Châtelet, flanked of four turrets, was also called the Gros Horloge (as with Rouen) because its frontage was decorated of a gilded dial which marked the hours and the phases of the moon; its Chime, symbol of communal freedom, rythmait the life of the city. On the walls, the currency of the city was also entered: God - Roy, Foy - Loy .

Notable rich person were also established in the environment of the Saint-Pierre place. Towards 1520 - 1530, Thomas Morel, lord of Secqueville and Than was made build a hotel on the edges of the Odon in the Midsummer's Day parish near the Saint-Pierre bridge and, in 1533, Nicolas Valois d' Escoville, wire of a commercial rich person anobli, made shave houses in the Saint-Pierre district to make there build a private mansion. These two buildings were of a new type, not as well in the choice of materials used as by their rise and their plan. In a solidified often restricted framework and compartmental, it was indeed use to build on three even four levels and to prefer the buildings with pinion wall, being spread out over a major but narrow piece; but starting from the 16th century, the private mansions, like the hotel of Escoville or the hotel of Than , made their appearance and struck the contemporaries as much, even more, by their vast influence on the ground, their plan ordered around a court, their provision regular or their separation between public spaces and deprived that by the richness of their decoration which one admires today and who is besides quite different from one hotel to another. The hotel of Escoville is thus the most famous building of the Caen-native Renaissance with the Abside of the Saint-Pierre church. By building on the main artery of the city such a building so characteristic of the French Rebirth, Nicolas Valois d' Escoville gave a proof of its richness, its power and its taste for architectural modernity.

Each Monday evening, the post office arrived at the Saint-Pierre crossroads, true node of communication, and brought Paris the new Gazette and books; well-read men people took the practice to give each other appointment in order to discuss of the news coming from all the Europe and often sheltered in the hotel of Escoville where they ended up founding in 1652 the first academy of Province: the Academy of Science, Arts and the Humanities of Caen.

Great operations of town plannings starting from the traditional time

At the 17th century, the problems posed by the congestion of circulation were done increasingly acute because of population growth and of the economic advancement which the city under the personal reign of Louis XIV knew. Of great operations of refitting was launched. The place was considerably increased between 1629 and 1635 when the city made destroy the houses which formed the street of the Exchange and the street of Pastry making, or Cuisinerie (between the Saint-Pierre crossroads and the place of the Market to Wood); one also moved the part of the Cimetière of the Saint-Pierre church which was behind these houses. A true place was thus formed in the second quarter of the 17th century. At the same time, one arranged the Royal Place which offered a new access between the parishes Midsummer's Day and Notre-Dame, which made it possible to unchoke the Saint-Pierre Bridge. But these installations were insufficient. At the 18th century, the town of Caen entered an important modernization process and of embellishment which touched the whole of the city. The fortifications then were mainly dismantled; in 1754, Châtelet was destroyed and the Town hall moved in the Hotel of Escoville.

Into 1793, the Saint-Pierre church was transformed into Temple of the Reason. In 1792, the municipality installed the Town hall, with narrow in the Hotel of Escoville, the Séminaire of the Eudistes on the place Royale and henceforth the arrival of the stage coaches and Diligence S was also done on this place; the political and administrative center of the city thus moved partly in this district which was consolidated in this role by the construction of the Hotel of the Prefecture at the end of the street the St. Lawrence. But the Saint-Pierre place kept strong elements of centrality; after the removal of the municipal officials in old the Seminar of the Eudistes, the Produce exchange, the Chamber of commerce of Caen, the Bankruptcy court and the Court of the Arbitration settled in the Hotel of Escoville. It was also a major element of the Caen-native cultural scene since it accommodated the Company of the Art schools, as well as the philharmonic Company of the Apple-brandy which could organize concerts there. At the 19th century, the place continued its modernization gradually. In 1816, one paved the Saint-Pierre place again; one then discovered undergrounds which moved towards the Château and in which tanks filled with a very limpid water had been arranged which were to probably provide water and vivres to the garrison when the Castle was besieged. In 1862, the course of the Odon was covered and the boulevard Saint-Pierre was created (boulevard of Alliés since 1918 for the section between the Saint-Pierre place and the Courtonne place). The place was then arranged in Square where the Residents of Caen came to discuss and to walk. In 1901, one inaugurated the network of electric trams whose Pierre place was the center; the public garden on the place was transformed into ground full to accommodate the station of tram. In 1937, the trams were replaced by buses and one destroyed the shelter of tram whose style pointed out the Parisian metro entrances created by Hector Guimard.

The Second world war and the Rebuilding

In 1944, the Saint-Pierre district was severely touched by the bombardments. The Bell-tower and the roof of the church were destroyed. Hotel of Escoville, only remained the very damaged interior court; the frontage on the place and the wall external of the southern wing had been pulverized. All the district which extended between the place and the Castle was nothing any more but one field of ruin; it was the same for the boulevard for the Allies, like besides for the whole of the Midsummer's Day district. At the beginning of the the Fifties, buildings of the type haussmannien were built on the boulevard of the Allies; one also built the building with the angle of the boulevard Maréchal Leclerc and the street Midsummer's Day in front of the Hotel of Than. The Saint-Pierre church was restored in 1952 - 1953. Between 1958 and 1963, the Hotel of Escoville was restored; the current frontage, moved of one meter compared to its old alignment, was supposed to respect the volume of the number of stages and to a certain extent the mode of full and the days of the old frontage, but without being a counterpart with identical of this one. The trade framing the Hotel of Escoville and the buildings of the street Saint-Pierre forming the angle with the place were also built at the end of the the Fifties and at the beginning of the the Sixties.

The slopes of the Château were not parcelled out and Saint-Pierre places it thus opens today in north towards the strengthened unit medieval. The sight on the fortress of William the Conqueror was thus released, but the Saint-Pierre place in itself lost into picturesque. It is difficult to imagine that it could be the heart of the city during more than one millenium; from now on, it more acts as main door of the hyper-center. The hotel of Escoville shelters however the Tourist bureau and one of the most important artothèques of France. Since 2002, the place is crossed by transport on way reserved, usually called tram , and was arranged in a vast mineral square. Since 2004, the bedside of the Saint-Pierre church is in the course of restoration.

Internal bonds

Caen
Pierre of Caen
Station of Caen Saint-Pierre actually on the place Courtonne

External bonds

Town of Caen - Circuit Guillaume
On the Rebuilding
On the retauration of the church Saint-Pierre
Caen, seen sky, by Stephan Maurice

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