Part 2

060. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. Location. The village of Saint-Pair-sur-Mer is located on the coast, 3.5 kilometers south of Granville. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer was a prosperous town and the vital center of the region until the construction of Granville in the 15th century. Many people moved to Granville then, at the expense of Saint-Pair. Saint-Pair grew again in 1880 with the development of seaside resorts. Medieval roads--a coast road and a shore road--were used by pilgrims from Saint-Pair to Mont Saint-Michel, and are still used today by "modern" pilgrims and visitors.

061. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The church is under St. Pair's patronage, and the second saint is St. Gaud. The church is a place of pilgrimage dedicated to the worship of St. Gaud, whose sarcophagus was found in 1131 during the building of the Romanesque church. Much later, in 1880, the Romanesque nave was demolished to be replaced by a much larger nave and a transept to accommodate the many parishioners of this popular seaside resort. The enlarged church was consecrated on August 26, 1888. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-18]

062. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The church is shown here from the north-east to get a view of the whole building. Photo by Marie Lebert. [Marie-07]

063. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The old Romanesque church, after a drawing from E. Biguet published in the journal Le Pays de Granville dated 1934. The Romanesque nave was demolished in 1880 to be replaced by a much larger nave and a transept. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-034]

064. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The church plan before 1880, as we can imagine it. The total external length was 37,5 meters. The external width of the nave was 11,1 meters (this hasn't changed). Plan by Marie Lebert.

065. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The plan of the present church. Regulary oriented from west to east, the building has a two-row nave with a porch, a large transept and a three-row choir with a semi-circular apse. The external length of the whole building is 57,1 meters. The external width of the nave is 11,1 meters. The square tower rises at the crossing of the transept. The transept arms are opened by two apses on their eastern side. The choir opens north on two chapels, one towards the apse and one towards the tower. At the angle formed by the south transept arm and the choir, a rectangular building houses the sacristy. Plan by Marie Lebert.

066. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The Romanesque tower. We can accurately give a date to the tower foundations, which is very seldom. We know that they date from 1131, thanks to a contemporary manuscript mentioning the discovery of St. Gaud's sarcophagus in the choir during the digging of the foundations. The same manuscript gives the name of the architect - Rogerius Altomansiunculo--who supervised the works. To know an architect's name is quite unusual too, because most architects of the time were remaining anonymous. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-19]

067. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The Romanesque tower is square, and its two floors are topped by an octogonal spire. A group of two blind arches adorn the first floor, at the north and south. Large twin bays adorn the second floor on all four sides. Divided by a small column with a square abacus and a square base, these twin bays are topped by a semi-circular arch molded with a simple torus and resting on attached columns. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-035]

068. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The Romanesque tower. The two floors of the tower. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-20]

069. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The Romanesque tower. Inside, the tower rests on four massive symmetrical piers supporting four slightly triangular arches. These arches surround the groin vault beneath the tower. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-036]

070. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. Sketch of the south-western pier of the tower. This pier is as follows: east, west and south, it is salient. North, an attached pier surrounded by two attached columns rests on a stoneboard. Molded as a champered band, the impost topping the pier forms the abacus of the capitals of the two columns. The capital baskets are carved, with a square base topped by a chamfer. The pier rests on a broader square base with chamfered edges. Sketch by Marie Lebert.

071. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. Detail of the north pier of the tower. Resting on a stoneboard, an attached pier surrounded by two attached columns is topped by an impost molded as a chamfered band. The impost also forms the abacus of the capitals. The capital baskets, in granite, are carved with angle hooks. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-037]

072. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. A carved capital basket. Under the tower, a capital of the north-west pier has a granite basket roughly carved in low relief with the bust of a man whose head is big. His right arm is raised and his left arm is folded over his chest. An oak branch is visible on the right. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-038]

073. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. A carved capital basket. Under the tower, another granite basket is carved with an angle hook in low relief. The capital baskets of the north-west, north-east and south-east piers are all adorned with angle hooks of this kind. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-039]

074. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. St. Pair's sarcophagus. A stone altar dating from the 19th century covers the shell limestone sarcophagus of St. Pair. St. Pair (482-565) founded a chapel with St. Scubilion, the foundations of which are still present underneath the choir of the present church. St. Pair also gave his name to the village previously known under the Roman name Scessiacus, or Scissy. St. Pair and St. Scubilion's sarcophagi were found in 1875, during the excavations made by abbot F. Baudry. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-040]

075. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The plan of the oratory sketched by abbot F. Baudry. In September 1875, during excavations in the church choir, abbot F. Baudry found part of the foundations of the 6th-century oratory and several shell limestone sarcophagi: the sarcophagi of St. Pair and St. Scubilion and, nearby, those of St. Senier and St. Aroaste. St. Gaud's sarcophagus was found in 1131 while digging the foundations of the Romanesque tower. This plan is included in the book of Chanoine Pigeon entitled "Vie des Saints du Diocese de Coutances et d'Avranches" (Life of the Saints in the Diocese of Coutances and Avranches), published in Avranches in 1888.

076. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The foundations of the oratory. On the floor of the second row of the present choir, the double line of black tiles surrounded by a row of clear tiles shows the exact place of the foundations of the old oratory. The underneath foundations form a semi-circular apse going on as side walls that disappear in the Romanesque building. Fortunatus (530-600), bishop of Poitiers, wrote in his "Vie de Saint Pair" (St. Pair's Life) that the cells of the early monks were built beside the sea. Then monks move their dwellings on the banks of the river Saigue, at the site of the present church, attracting a population that settled around the oratory. In the foreground, a white gravestone shows the spot where St. Pair's sarcophagus was buried and discovered. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-042]

077. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. St. Gaud's reliquary, on the altar covering his shell limestone sarcophagus. St. Gaud (400-491) has its own chapel, built in the 19th century in the north wall of the choir, the church being a place of pilgrimage dedicated to his worship. After fourty years as the second bishop of Evreux, St. Gaud resigned from office to come and retire in the solitude of Saint-Pair. St. Gaud's sarcophagus was found in 1131 while digging the foundations of the Romanesque tower. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-041]

078. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. St. Gaud's reliquary. In this photo dated 2009, the reliquary is adorned with both ex-votos and flowers. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-21]

079. Saint-Pair-sur-Mer. The baptismal font. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-24]

080. Angey. Location. The village of Angey is located 2,5 kilometers west of the village of Sartilly. The parish of Angey has been part of the parish of Sartilly since 1914. The church of Angey is used only very occasionally for weddings and funerals.

081. Angey. The church and its cemetery. The church is under St. Samson's patronage, and the second saint is St. John the Baptist. The parish of Angey belonged to the deanery of Genets and the archidiachone of Avranches. In 1162, the church of Angey and its dependencies were given to the Abbey of the Lucerne by William of St. Jean. The abbot of the Lucerne was the lord of the church from then on. Photo by Marie Lebert. [Marie-12]

082. Angey. The church, with its Romanesque choir. The base of the tower may also be Romanesque, but from a later period, because its masonry is slightly different from the masonry of the choir. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-25]

083. Angey. The church plan. Regularly oriented from west to east, the rectangular building is formed by a long nave and a one-row choir. The whole building has an external length of 26,85 meters and an external width of 7,5 meters (width of the front). The tower rises between choir and nave. Plan by Marie Lebert.

084. Angey. The choir with a flat apse, and the tower rising between choir and nave. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-26]

085. Angey. The baptismal font, probably from the 14th century, is adorned with carved trefoil arches in low relief. The base of the font is carved with a rope, probably a symbol of the religious community. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-27]

086. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. Location. The village of Saint-Jean-le-Thomas is located on the coast, 12 kilometers south of Granville and 9 kilometers north of Avranches. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas was situated on two medieval roads, the first one coming from Saint-Pair-sur-Mer and the second one coming from Coutances. Another shore road going from Saint-Pair to Mont Saint-Michel was crossing the dunes nearby.

087. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The church is under St. John the Baptist's patronage. The parish of Saint-Jean-le-Thomas belonged to the deanery of Genets and the archidiachone of Avranches. In 917, William Longsword, second duke of Normandy, gave to the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel the village of Saint-Jean-at-the-end-of-the-sea with its church, mill, vineyards and meadows. In the 12th century, the duke Robert I gave again to Mont Saint-Michel the seigneury of Saint-Jean and its dependencies. In 1162, the local lord, William of St. John, second founder of the Abbey of the Lucerne, gave to the abbey the church of Saint-Jean-le-Thomas with its dependencies, including many properties around and in England. In the 15th century, the church was still owned by the Abbey of the Lucerne, the abbot of the Lucerne being the lord of the church. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-28]

088. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The church. Its Romanesque nave is from the 11th century and early 12th century. The pre-Romanesque flat apse choir is probably from the 10th century. The Romanesque gate opened in the south wall of the nave has a large porch from the 15th century. The massive square tower is along the south wall of the nave, with two floors topped by a balustrade with an openwork design. The tower was built in 1895 to replace a timeworn tower, with granite stones from the Saint-James quarries. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-043]

089. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The church plan. Regularly oriented from west to east, the rectangular building is formed by a long nave and a flat apse choir. The whole building has an external length of 31.2 meters and an external width of 8.1 meters (width of the front). The church gate is opened in the south wall of the nave, with a porch. Built along the nave, the tower rises south. Plan by Marie Lebert.

090. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The church front and the tower. The wall of the church front is topped with a small glacis covered with schist plates, behind which rises the gable wall. In the middle of the front, a flat buttress ends with a glacis at the base of the gable wall. The two small Romanesque bays on both sides of the buttress were reopened in 1973, during the restoration of the church choir. The massive tower was rebuilt in 1895. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-044]

091. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The pre-Romanesque choir and its south wall. The choir has similarities with the church Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, present in the innards of Mont Saint-Michel and built by the Benedictines shortly after settling down on the Mont in 966. In both buildings, the bay centerings are made of brick quoins, and walls are made of fairly regular small blocks of granite joined with a thick mortar. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-045]

092. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The pre-Romanesque choir. On the left of the large central bay, a small Romanesque bay is clearly visible, with its centering and abutements in granite. Photo by Claude Rayon [Claude-31]

093. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The pre-Romanesque choir and its north wall. High in the wall, the centerings of the pre-Romanesque bays are made of brick quoins. The large semi-circular bay with a trefoil arch was pierced in 1895, when the tower was rebuilt. The pre-Romanesque bays were discovered and reopened during the restoration of the choir in 1965 by Yves-Marie Froidevaux, a chief architect at the (French) Historic Monuments. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-046]

094. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The pre-Romanesque choir and its north wall. The masonry is made of fairly regular small blocks of granite joined with a thick mortar. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-047]

095. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The pre-Romanesque choir. The centering of this small pre-Romanesque bay is made with brick quoins. The same bays are present in the church Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, built around the same time in the innards of Mont Saint-Michel. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-30]

096. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The pre-Romanesque choir (inside) and its north wall. The fairly regular granite blocks of the walls and the brick quoins of the bays are also visible inside, following the restoration of the choir in 1965 by Yves-Marie Froideveaux, a chief architect at the (French) Historic Monuments. The five bays with centerings in brick quoins--three north and two south--were found and reopened at that time. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-048]

097. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The pre-Romanesque choir (inside). The two large semi-circular bays on each side of the choir were added in 1895, during the construction of the new tower. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-049]

098. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The pre-Romanesque choir (inside). The wooden barrel vault was added in 1965 and completed in 1973. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-050]

099. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque nave (inside). This nave is probably from the 11th century and early 12th century. In the front wall in the background, the two Romanesque bays were reopened in 1973 after being found under the plaster. The upper bay--a median bay situated in the gable wall--was walled up at the same time, but its granite abutments remain clearly visible. The barrel vault of the nave is in plaster. The floor is covered with large pavings In granite. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-051]

100. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque nave (inside). Another view of the nave, this time towards the choir. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-32]

101. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque nave (inside). Romanesque murals were found on the south wall of the nave, a very interesting discovery because murals are almost non-existent in the region. The existence of such ancient wall paintings, probably from the 12th century, was unknown until 1974, until the plaster of the walls of the nave was redone. Colour spots attracted the attention of abbot Poree, pastor of the church, who then requested the visit of the fresco specialists of the (French) Fine Arts Department. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-052]

102. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque murals, in the south wall of the nave. In this part restored in December 1974, there are three paintings: the struggle of a man against an angel, on the tympanum of the walled-up gate, then a fight between two figures, and finally a country scene. These paintings are surrounded by decorative borders. These murals may be the work of pilgrims going to Mont Saint-Michel on the medieval road along the coast. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-053]

103. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque murals, on the south wall of the nave. On the tympanum of the walled-up gate, the battle of a man against an angel, "a fight that could be the one of Jacob against the angel sent by God, or God himself showed in a visible form", according to abbot Poree, pastor of the church at the time of the discovery of the murals in 1974. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-054]

104. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque murals. The same scene on the tympanum of the walled-up gate, taken with a different angle to show the two foliage borders. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-33]

105. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque murals. The same tympanum of the walled-up gate, seen from the outside. Above the gate, a small Romanesque bay with its centering and abutements in granite. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-29]

106. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque murals, in the south wall of the nave. In this country scene, with wheat ears visible on the left, a figure wearing a large cloak holds a flask and pours wine in a cup held by another figure. On the right, a third figure holding a tillage tool is partly erased. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-055]

107. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque murals, in the south wall of the nave. The third painting, of which much has disappeared, is the struggle between a figure with a cloack whose head is surrounded with a halo and another armored figure who seems to be on the ground. This could be St. Michael's struggle against the Devil, according to abbot Poree, pastor of the church at the time of the discovery of the murals in 1974. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-056]

108. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque murals, in the south wall of the nave. Situated between the country scene and the fight scene, this detail shows that the mural was painted directly on the lime plaster, which explains the clear background. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-057]

109. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque murals, in the south wall of the nave. This partial view of the fight scene shows that all contours were drawn in ocher paint, and inside surfaces were painted in ocher and buff. Only these two colors were used, directly on the lime plaster. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-058]

110. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque murals, in the south wall of the nave. The paintings are surrounded with a foliage border. The flourishes run between two horizontal stripes. The first stripe is ocher along the flourishes and the second stripe is buff along the ocher stripe, with a row of white dots at the junction of the two colours. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-059]

111. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque gate and its porch, in the south wall of the nave. Like often in the region, a porch was built later on--this one is from the 15th century--to offer to pilgrims and parishioners two stone benches and a shelter from rain and western winds coming from the sea. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-54]

112. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Romanesque gate, in the south wall of the nave. The semi-circular arch of the gate is formed of a grain adorned with a simple torus molding. The arch rests on two attached columns that seem an extension of the torus, with the same diameter. The columns are topped with capitals with a square abacus. The capital baskets are carved with barely visible small angle hooks. The square base is topped by a double torus. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-55]

113. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. Sketch of the Romanesque gate, in the south wall of the nave. Sketch by Marie Lebert.

114. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The porch. The stone roof of this 15th century porch is made of irregular schiste plates joined with a thick mortar. The arch of the Romanesque portal is adorned with a torus. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-060]

115. Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. The Virgin and Child. Situated under the 15th century porch, at the south of the nave, this stone statue stands above the Romanesque gate. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-061]

116. Dragey. Location. The village of Dragey is located on the current coastal road going from Granville to Avranches, 20 kilometers south of Granville and 13 kilometers north of Avranches. Dragey was on the route of three medieval roads, the first one coming from Saint-Pair-sur-Mer, the second one coming from Coutances and the third one coming from Saint-Lo. The shore road coming from Saint-Pair was crossing the dunes of Dragey before reaching Mont Saint-Michel, the final destination for many pilgrims.

117. Dragey. Panorama. On the hill where the church stands, the silhouette of Mont Saint-Michel and Tombelaine emerge from the mist. For pilgrims, this view was announcing the end of a long quest. The church of Dragey was given to Mont Saint-Michel in the 11th century by Robert, duke of Normandy. Dragey and his church were among the dependencies of Saint-Jean-at-the-end-of-the-sea, that later became Saint-Jean-le-Thomas. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-34]

118. Dragey. The church, built on a hill, is isolated with its rectory at about one kilometer from the village. The church is placed under St. Medard's patronage, and the second saint is St. Eloi. The parish of Dragey belonged to the deanery of Genets and the archidiachone of Avranches. The Romanesque nave is from the 11th or 12th century, whereas the tower and choir are from the 13th century. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-062]

119. Dragey. The church is not situated in the village, unlike the other churches in the region. Visible from far out at sea, the tower was a landmark for seamen. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-063]

120. Dragey. The church has a one-row choir and a three-row nave. The tower rises between choir and nave. Only the nave is Romanesque. The choir and the tower, more recent, are from the 13th century. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-35]

121. Dragey. The church plan. Regularly oriented from west to east, the rectangular building is formed by a three-row nave and a one-row choir. This whole building has an external length of 40,8 meters and an external width of 9,1 meters (width of the front). The tower rises between choir and nave. Plan by Marie Lebert.