DK Travel : Normandy

Normandy brings a dozen different images to mind: William the Conqueror, the D-Day landings, Mont-St-Michel; the bleak landscape of the Cotentin coast, the sparkling summertime playground of the Côte Fleurie; sumptuous châteaux, historic abbeys, famous gardens; the orchards of the Auge, the picture-postcard scenery of the Suisse Normande; Monet’s home at Giverny, the Cabourg immortalized by Proust – or perhaps it’s cider, calvados and camembert. Whatever your list, it will barely scratch the surface of this rich and rewarding region.

Abbaye de Jumièges

These magnificent, eerie ruins – a subtle blend of Romanesque and Gothic architecture – are the remains of the Benedictine abbey founded by St Philibert in the 7th century.
Abbaye de St-Wandrille

The chequered history of this working Benedictine monastery goes back to 649, and includes a spell in the 19th century as home to the Marquis of Stackpole.
Abbaye de St-Wandrille

A 14th-century barn houses the abbey shop, outlet for the monks’ own products, including CDs of Gregorian chant, honey and beeswax candles.
Abbaye d’Ardennes, Caen

During the Battle of Normandy, 23 Canadian soldiers were executed at this 12th-century abbey on the outskirts of Caen; a memorial garden now commemorates them. The partially ruined abbey church is a fine example of Norman Gothic architecture.
Abbaye Notre-Dame, Le Bec-Hellouin

There is a marvellous view of the abbey, its creamy 18th-century buildings nestling in the lush valley, as you enter the village from the south on the D39. The 18th-century refectory has been converted into a simple church, where its founder’s sarcophagus lies sunk beneath the altar.
Abbaye St-Georges de Boscherville

An exquisite example of Norman Romanesque architecture.
Abbaye St-Martin-de-Mondaye, Juaye-Mondaye

The monks of this small community welcome guests on retreat, and host summer concerts in their handsome 18th-century abbey.
Abbaye-aux-Dames, Caen

Like their founders William and Matilda, the Abbaye-aux-Hommes and Abbaye-aux-Dames (the first of the two to be built) are close cousins. The lovely convent buildings were designed by Guillaume de la Tremblaye.
Abbaye-aux-Hommes, Caen

Lanfranc was the first abbot of the abbey, which was founded by William the Conqueror and consecrated in his presence in 1077. Ten years later, William was buried, most unceremoniously, in the abbey’s church, St-Etienne.
Abbot de Rancé

Nobleman who renounced his former life and founded the Trappists in 1664.