Gournay-en-Bray
Encyclopedia
Gournay-en-Bray is a commune
in the Seine-Maritime
department in the Haute-Normandie
region
in northern France
.
situated in the Pays de Bray
, some 30 miles (48.3 km) east of Rouen
, at the junction of the N31
, the D930 and the D915 roads.
The commune’s territory includes three former parish
hamlet
s and sees the confluence of the Epte
with 3 other smaller rivers – the Morette, Auchy and Aulnaie.
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 Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
department in the Haute-Normandie
Haute-Normandie
Upper Normandy is one of the 27 regions of France. It was created in 1984 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for reuniting the two regions...
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 northern 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
A town of farming and light industryLight industry
Light industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...
situated in the Pays de Bray
Pays de Bray
The Pays de Bray is a small natural region of France situated to the north-east of Rouen, straddling the French départements of the Seine-Maritime and Oise...
, some 30 miles (48.3 km) east of Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
, at the junction of the N31
Route nationale 31
The Route nationale 31 is a motorway in northern France. It connects the town of Rouen to Reims, it is also the European Route 46.-Route:The road starts in the City of Rouen, the road starts heading east. The road heads through the Foret de Lyons passing the Hetre de la Bunodiere. The road then...
, the D930 and the D915 roads.
The commune’s territory includes three former parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
s and sees the confluence of the Epte
Epte
The Epte is a river in Seine-Maritime and Eure, in Normandy, France. It is a right tributary of the Seine.The river rises in Seine-Maritime in the Pays de Bray, near Forges-les-Eaux...
with 3 other smaller rivers – the Morette, Auchy and Aulnaie.
Population
Heraldry
Places of interest
- The Collegiate churchCollegiate churchIn Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
of Saint-Hildevert, built in the 12th century, famous for its roman capitals, ornate decoration and its ancient religious sculptures. - Vestiges of a 17th century prioryPrioryA priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
, now a farm. - Ruins of a 12th century CapuchinOrder of Friars Minor CapuchinThe Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
monasteryMonasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
. - The chapel at the hamlet of Saint-Clair, built in 1829.
- A memorial fountain of the 18th century.
- The town gates and fortifications, dating from the thirteenth century.
- Traces of 10th century fortifications.
- The sixteenth century church of Saint-Jean-Batiste.