Pays d'Auge

To the west of the house where we stayed while in Normandy was the district called the Pays d'Auge.
It is known for its apple orchards and dairy farms.

Lisieux is the largest town in the district. And Lisieux is most famous for Saint Theresa of Lisieux,
a nineteenth-century nun, who died in 1897 and was canonized in 1925. A huge basilica was built in
her honor between 1929 and 1954. It holds 4000 people and is visited by 2 million people each year.

A separate bell tower was added in the 1960s (below left).

Mosaic lines the walls and ceilings of the basilica and its crypt, in strikingly bold colors.

There is a great view over the countryside from the basilica, built at the top of a large hill.

In the countryside of the Pays d'Auge are several charming villages.
One of the most charming was Beuvron-en-Auge, with its traditional Norman houses set around a square.

Notice the flowers planted at the peak of this thatched roof: that was a very common feature of these homes!

We had lunch here, and wandered around admiring the buildings.

Someone in the town had decorated these old wine- or cider-making presses and barrel.

Another very interesting village was Crèvecoeur-en-Auge.

The remnants of its medieval castle still survive, and with money from the Schlumberger Foundation,
several buildings have been built around the castle to recreate a medieval village.

The interior of the castle has been decorated to appear as it would have in the middle ages.

The whole village is surrounded by a moat, with a guard house.

There is a dovecot (below left) and barns (below right).

There is also a church (below left) and pens for animals (below right).

It was all very interesting.

 

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