Saint-Pierre Church

Granted, there are a lot of churches in Caen.  The Saint-Pierre church, which stands in front of you, was the main building in Bourg du Roi. It was successively called Saint-Pierre de Darnétal, Saint-Pierre-sous-Caen, Saint-Pierre-du-Châtel, Saint-Pierre-en-Rive, before finally giving up all the add ons and becomingjust Saint-Pierre. It was built over 3 centuries, between the 13th and 16th centuries. The result is that, with about one style per century, it has a beautiful Radiant Gothic style, then a Flamboyant Gothic style, then a Renaissance style. In the 14th century, its famous Gothic bell tower was regarded as the king of Normandy bell towers! However, the one you see here was rebuilt in 1957, the original having been hit by shellfire in 1944. In 2019, after renovation, the three original bells were reinstalled in their belfry. Meet Anne, 351 years old – 1.3 tonnes; Paul, 211 years old – 1.8 tonnes and Pierre, also 211 years old – 2.2 tonnes. The interior is worth a visit, especially the choir vault and the sculpted capitals depicting scenes from medieval romances of chivalry. A must-see for all architecture lovers!