Cintheaux
Encyclopedia
Cintheaux is a commune
in the Calvados
department in the Basse-Normandie
region
in northwestern France
.
and Falaise
and is the home to the Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery
.
Gaumesnil was originally a separate village, now attached to Cintheaux; it has fewer than 19 residents.
, classified as an official French historic monument
. It was built around 1150 by the Marmion family; Robert Marmion
offered it in patronage to the Barbery Abbey, subject to the Bayeux
diocese, in 1181. The main (north) chapel and the cross tower, dating to the 16th century, was destroyed in 1688. The north bell tower
was added in the 18th century. The church was restored between 1857 and 1902.
in 1944, during Operation Totalize.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Calvados
Calvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
department in the Basse-Normandie
Basse-Normandie
Lower Normandy is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in northwestern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
The commune is located between CaenCaen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
and Falaise
Falaise, Calvados
Falaise is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-History:The town was the birthplace of William I the Conqueror, first of the Norman Kings of England. The Château de Falaise , which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of...
and is the home to the Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery
Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery
The Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery is a Cemetery containing predominantly Canadian soldiers killed during the later stages of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War...
.
Gaumesnil was originally a separate village, now attached to Cintheaux; it has fewer than 19 residents.
Sights
The main town is situated around the church of Saint-GermainGermain of Paris
Saint Germain was a bishop of Paris, who was canonized in 754. He is known in his early vita as pater et pastor populi, rendered in modern times as the "Father of the Poor".-Biography:...
, classified as an official French historic monument
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
. It was built around 1150 by the Marmion family; Robert Marmion
Robert Marmion
Robert Marmion was an English nobleman and itinerant justice. He was reputed to have been the King's Champion. He was descended from the lords of Fontenay le Marmion in Normandy, who are said to have been hereditary champions of the Dukes of Normandy.-Ancestry:The first definite record of the...
offered it in patronage to the Barbery Abbey, subject to the Bayeux
Bayeux
Bayeux is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France.Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.-Administration:Bayeux is a sub-prefecture of Calvados...
diocese, in 1181. The main (north) chapel and the cross tower, dating to the 16th century, was destroyed in 1688. The north bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
was added in the 18th century. The church was restored between 1857 and 1902.
World War II
Cintheaux was devastated by American artillery, which sought to annihilate the 12th SS Panzer Division12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend was a German Waffen SS armoured division during World War II. The Hitlerjugend was unique because the majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the Hitler Youth, while the senior NCOs and officers were generally veterans of the Eastern...
in 1944, during Operation Totalize.