Froide Street

You are now entering one of Caen’s most fascinating streets. The cobblestones take you on a journey through time, spanning several eras. This street is thought to have been created around the 7th century, although reliable sources only mention it from the 12th century onwards. It was part of Bourg le Roi, the oldest medieval center, formed around the Men’s Abbey.  Anyway, it reveals buildings of all architectural types, from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century. Perhaps the most fascinating are the former bourgeois courtyards. There are around thirty of them, but only a few can be visited. You can wander down a narrow alleyway at number 10 that skirts a half-timbered house, enter the porch at number 16 where people used to ride horses to access the Sens courtyard, or push open the carriage entrance at number 41. Now why is it called Froide Street ? If you’re currently in a draught, you have one side of the story. Another version claims that the street was named after one of its inhabitants, Odobrun de Froiderue, though the reverse is usually true – it’s the person who takes the name of where they live, like the Duponts, Deleglise, Dubois etc… However, the best-known legend, which is also the most violent, recounts that William the Conqueror got angry with his wife Matilda and punished her by dragging her through the town by her hair, tied to the tail of a horse. Admittedly, this legend is a bit far-fetched.