Honfleur
Encyclopedia
Honfleur is a commune
in the Calvados
department in northwestern France
. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine
across from le Havre
and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. Its inhabitants are called Honfleurais.
It is especially known for its old, beautiful picturesque port, characterized by its houses with slate-covered frontages, painted many times by artists, including in particular Gustave Courbet
, Eugène Boudin
, Claude Monet
and Johan Jongkind
, forming the école de Honfleur (Honfleur school) which contributed to the appearance of the Impressionist movement. The Sainte-Catherine church, which has a bell-tower separate from the principal building, is the largest church made out of wood in France.
, in 1027. By the middle of the 12th century, the city represented a significant transit point for goods from Rouen
to England
.
Located on the estuary of one of the principal rivers of France with a safe harbour and relatively rich hinterland, Honfleur profited from its strategic position from the start of the Hundred Years' War
. The town's defences were strengthened by Charles V
in order to protect the estuary of the Seine from attacks from the English
. This was supported by the nearby port of Harfleur
. However, Honfleur was taken and occupied by the English in 1357 and from 1419 to 1450. When under French control, raiding parties often set out from the port to ransack the English coasts, including partially destroying the town of Sandwich
, in Kent
, England
, in the 1450s.
At the end of the Hundred Years' War, Honfleur benefited from the boom in maritime trade until the end of the 18th century. Trade was disturbed during the wars of religion in the 16th century. The port saw the departure of a number of explorers, in particular in 1503 of Binot Paulmierde Gonneville to the coasts of Brazil
. In 1506, Honfleurais Jean Denis departed for Newfoundland island and the mouth of the Saint Lawrence
. An expedition in 1608, organised by Samuel de Champlain
, founded the city of Quebec
in modern day Canada
.
After 1608, Honfleur thrived on trade with Canada
, the West Indies, the Africa
n coasts and the Azores
. As a result the town became one of the five principal ports for the slave trade in France. During this time the rapid growth of the town saw the demolition of its fortifications on the orders of Colbert
.
The wars of the French revolution
and the First Empire
, and in particular the continental blockade, caused the ruin of Honfleur. It only partially recovered during the 19th century with the trading of wood from northern Europe. Trade was however limited by the silting up of the entrance to the port and development of the modern port at Le Havre
. The port however still functions today.
Honfleur was liberated by the Belgian army (Brigade Piron) on 25 August 1944.http://www.brigade-piron.be/campagnes_en.html
Traditional prononciation: [χonfieu] with the [H] strongly aspirated, like in 'loch'. It is lost nowadays.
The marker -fleur, formerly -fleu which is widespread in Normandy (Cf. Barfleur
, Vittefleur
, Harfleur
, Crémanfleur, Fiquefleur and La Gerfleur stream), which means 'stream, river running into the sea', was still in use in the 13th century as written in a document le fleu de Lestre, meaning the Lestre
river.
It could come from a word of Old Norse origin flóð, compare OE flōd (> flood), which means 'estuary', 'branch of the sea', combined with flói 'river running into the sea' for the meaning. But according to the numerous old mentions of Barfleur
(-flueth 1066 - 77, -floth 1081 - 87, -fluet 12th C., -flet 1200), it is more probably the OE flēot 'run of water', that can be found in the English place-names in -fleet, such as Adingfleet, Marfleet
, Ousefleet
, combined very often with a male's name.
The element Hon- seems to come from an Anglo-Saxon given name Huna or the Norse Hunni (which is also found close to Honfleur in Honnaville, homonym of the Honneville at Saint-Georges-du-Mesnil.) The similarity with the name of Bay of Húnaflói in Iceland may be coincidence.
département of Calvados
, located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine
, across from le Havre
and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie.
The population has hovered around 8-9,000 since 1793, and as of 2006 had 8,177 inhabitants who are called Honfleurais. et INSEE
, Barneville-la-Bertran
, Cricquebœuf
, Équemauville
, Fourneville, Genneville, Gonneville-sur-Honfleur
, Honfleur, Pennedepie, Quetteville, La Rivière-Saint-Sauveur
, Saint-Gatien-des-Bois
and Le Theil-en-Auge
.
These 13 communes also form the intercommunality of Pays de Honfleur.
In 1973 Honfleur amalgamated with the commune of Vasouy (143 inhabitants in 1999, the INSEE code used to be 14725), which lays out of the statute since then of common partner.
as evidenced by a wooden sculpture above the porch of the bell-tower which separates the two naves. She is shown holding a wheel and a sword. The first nave is the oldest part of the building, dating to the second half of the 15th century, constructed right after the Hundred Years War. It was built on the model of a market hall, using naval construction techniques, which gives the impression of an upside-down ship's hull. Then the bell-tower was built a good distance away, so that parishioners would not be burnt in case of a fire. Indeed, the bell-tower did draw lightning strikes due to its height and its position on the side of a hill. In the 16th century, a second nave was added, whose vault
was like the wooden vaults of modest Gothic
churches. This second part was rather rounder, and did not look like a ship's hull. Later, supplementary bay
s were added to both naves.
The famous "Axe masters" of the naval yards of the city created this lovely building without using any saws, just like their Norman ancestors (who can be seen in action in the Bayeux tapestry
), and like the Vikings before them.
The beams used to create the pillar
s of the nave and the side walls are of unequal length, because there were not anymore any oak
trees long enough to construct them. Also, some have a footing of stone, some of greater or lesser height, and some have no footing.
The bays for the choir, redone in the 19th century, are of rather mediocre quality, and the roof above is higher than those of the older parts.
The church is partially covered in chestnut
shingles, which are called « essentes » in the local dialect.
The "neonorman" porch was built following the model of rural Normandy churches at the beginning fo the 20th century, and replaced a monumental doorway in neo-classical
style from the previous century (which can be seen in certain canvases by Jongkind or Boudin
. The doorway itself was in Renaissance style.
It is worth noting that the classical organ comes from the parish St. Vincent of Rouen
, and the Renaissance balcony is decorated with musicians. Nineteenth century stained glass decorates the windows of the east choir.
The building lacks a transept
and the lateral walls of the chapels are uniquely adorned by statues of recent saints, including two local ones: saint Marcouf et sainte Thérèse de Lisieux
.
The interior is entirely painted in murals, including the visible wooden vaulting.
, England Wörth am Main
, Germany Honfleur, Quebec
Onomichi
, Japan
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 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...
. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
across from le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. Its inhabitants are called Honfleurais.
It is especially known for its old, beautiful picturesque port, characterized by its houses with slate-covered frontages, painted many times by artists, including in particular Gustave Courbet
Gustave Courbet
Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet was a French painter who led the Realist movement in 19th-century French painting. The Realist movement bridged the Romantic movement , with the Barbizon School and the Impressionists...
, Eugène Boudin
Eugène Boudin
Eugène Boudin was one of the first French landscape painters to paint outdoors.Boudin was a marine painter, and expert in the rendering of all that goes upon the sea and along its shores...
, Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
and Johan Jongkind
Johan Jongkind
Johan Barthold Jongkind was a Dutch painter and printmaker regarded as a forerunner of Impressionism who influenced Claude Monet....
, forming the école de Honfleur (Honfleur school) which contributed to the appearance of the Impressionist movement. The Sainte-Catherine church, which has a bell-tower separate from the principal building, is the largest church made out of wood in France.
History
The first written mention of Honfleur is a reference by Richard III, duke of NormandyRichard III, Duke of Normandy
Richard III was the eldest son of Richard II, who died in 1027. Before succeeding his father, perhaps about 1020, he had been sent by his father in command of a large army, to attack bishop/count Hugh of Chalon in order to rescue his brother-in-law, Reginald, later Count of Burgundy, whom the...
, in 1027. By the middle of the 12th century, the city represented a significant transit point for goods from 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...
to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Located on the estuary of one of the principal rivers of France with a safe harbour and relatively rich hinterland, Honfleur profited from its strategic position from the start of the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
. The town's defences were strengthened by Charles V
Charles V of France
Charles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380 and a member of the House of Valois...
in order to protect the estuary of the Seine from attacks from the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. This was supported by the nearby port of Harfleur
Harfleur
-Population:-Places of interest:* The church of St-Martin, dating from the fourteenth century.* The seventeenth century Hôtel de Ville .* Medieval ramparts * The fifteenth century museums of fishing and of archaeology and history....
. However, Honfleur was taken and occupied by the English in 1357 and from 1419 to 1450. When under French control, raiding parties often set out from the port to ransack the English coasts, including partially destroying the town of Sandwich
Sandwich, Kent
Sandwich is a historic town and civil parish on the River Stour in the Non-metropolitan district of Dover, within the ceremonial county of Kent, south-east England. It has a population of 6,800....
, in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in the 1450s.
At the end of the Hundred Years' War, Honfleur benefited from the boom in maritime trade until the end of the 18th century. Trade was disturbed during the wars of religion in the 16th century. The port saw the departure of a number of explorers, in particular in 1503 of Binot Paulmierde Gonneville to the coasts of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. In 1506, Honfleurais Jean Denis departed for Newfoundland island and the mouth of the Saint Lawrence
Saint Lawrence
Lawrence of Rome was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian in 258.- Holy Chalice :...
. An expedition in 1608, organised by Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
, founded the city of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in modern day Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
After 1608, Honfleur thrived on trade with Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the West Indies, the Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n coasts and the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
. As a result the town became one of the five principal ports for the slave trade in France. During this time the rapid growth of the town saw the demolition of its fortifications on the orders of Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing...
.
The wars of the French revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and the First Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
, and in particular the continental blockade, caused the ruin of Honfleur. It only partially recovered during the 19th century with the trading of wood from northern Europe. Trade was however limited by the silting up of the entrance to the port and development of the modern port at Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
. The port however still functions today.
Honfleur was liberated by the Belgian army (Brigade Piron) on 25 August 1944.http://www.brigade-piron.be/campagnes_en.html
Toponymy
Mentioned as Hunefleth in 1025; Hunefloth around 1062; Honneflo in 1198; Honflue in 1246; Honnefleu, up to the 18th century.Traditional prononciation: [χonfieu] with the [H] strongly aspirated, like in 'loch'. It is lost nowadays.
The marker -fleur, formerly -fleu which is widespread in Normandy (Cf. Barfleur
Barfleur
Barfleur is a commune in the Manche department in the Basse-Normandie region in north-western France.-Middle Ages:In the Middle Ages Barfleur was one of the chief ports of embarkation for England....
, Vittefleur
Vittefleur
Vittefleur is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A farming village situated on the banks of the Durdent river in the Pays de Caux, some southwest of Dieppe at the junction of the D69, D10 and the D268 roads.-Population:-Places of...
, Harfleur
Harfleur
-Population:-Places of interest:* The church of St-Martin, dating from the fourteenth century.* The seventeenth century Hôtel de Ville .* Medieval ramparts * The fifteenth century museums of fishing and of archaeology and history....
, Crémanfleur, Fiquefleur and La Gerfleur stream), which means 'stream, river running into the sea', was still in use in the 13th century as written in a document le fleu de Lestre, meaning the Lestre
Lestre
Lestre is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France....
river.
It could come from a word of Old Norse origin flóð, compare OE flōd (> flood), which means 'estuary', 'branch of the sea', combined with flói 'river running into the sea' for the meaning. But according to the numerous old mentions of Barfleur
Barfleur
Barfleur is a commune in the Manche department in the Basse-Normandie region in north-western France.-Middle Ages:In the Middle Ages Barfleur was one of the chief ports of embarkation for England....
(-flueth 1066 - 77, -floth 1081 - 87, -fluet 12th C., -flet 1200), it is more probably the OE flēot 'run of water', that can be found in the English place-names in -fleet, such as Adingfleet, Marfleet
Marfleet
Marfleet is a suburb of Kingston upon Hull, near the A1033 road, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was served by Marfleet railway station on the Hull and Holderness Railway until it closed in 1964....
, Ousefleet
Ousefleet
Ousefleet is a small hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England approximately east of Goole. It is located just south of the River Ouse and north of the A161 road between Goole and Scunthorpe.It forms part of the civil parish of Twin Rivers....
, combined very often with a male's name.
The element Hon- seems to come from an Anglo-Saxon given name Huna or the Norse Hunni (which is also found close to Honfleur in Honnaville, homonym of the Honneville at Saint-Georges-du-Mesnil.) The similarity with the name of Bay of Húnaflói in Iceland may be coincidence.
Geography
Honfleur is in the NormanNormandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
département of 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...
, located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
, across from le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie.
The population has hovered around 8-9,000 since 1793, and as of 2006 had 8,177 inhabitants who are called Honfleurais. et INSEE
Population
Administration
Honfleur is the chief town of a canton including the communes of AblonAblon
Ablon is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Ablon is from Honfleur.-Population:-See also:*Ablon-sur-Seine - a suburb of Paris, close to Orly airport*Communes of the Calvados department...
, Barneville-la-Bertran
Barneville-la-Bertran
Barneville-la-Bertran is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-Personalities:It was the birthplace of Madame d'Aulnoy, writer known for her fairy tales.-References:*...
, Cricquebœuf
Cricquebœuf
Cricquebœuf is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Équemauville
Équemauville
-References:*...
, Fourneville, Genneville, Gonneville-sur-Honfleur
Gonneville-sur-Honfleur
-References:*...
, Honfleur, Pennedepie, Quetteville, La Rivière-Saint-Sauveur
La Rivière-Saint-Sauveur
-References:*...
, Saint-Gatien-des-Bois
Saint-Gatien-des-Bois
Saint-Gatien-des-Bois is a commune in the Calvados in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
and Le Theil-en-Auge
Le Theil-en-Auge
-References:*...
.
These 13 communes also form the intercommunality of Pays de Honfleur.
In 1973 Honfleur amalgamated with the commune of Vasouy (143 inhabitants in 1999, the INSEE code used to be 14725), which lays out of the statute since then of common partner.
Sights
Saint-Catherine's Church
The church is dedicated to Saint Catherine of AlexandriaCatherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius...
as evidenced by a wooden sculpture above the porch of the bell-tower which separates the two naves. She is shown holding a wheel and a sword. The first nave is the oldest part of the building, dating to the second half of the 15th century, constructed right after the Hundred Years War. It was built on the model of a market hall, using naval construction techniques, which gives the impression of an upside-down ship's hull. Then the bell-tower was built a good distance away, so that parishioners would not be burnt in case of a fire. Indeed, the bell-tower did draw lightning strikes due to its height and its position on the side of a hill. In the 16th century, a second nave was added, whose vault
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
was like the wooden vaults of modest Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
churches. This second part was rather rounder, and did not look like a ship's hull. Later, supplementary bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
s were added to both naves.
The famous "Axe masters" of the naval yards of the city created this lovely building without using any saws, just like their Norman ancestors (who can be seen in action in the Bayeux tapestry
Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth—not an actual tapestry—nearly long, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings...
), and like the Vikings before them.
The beams used to create the pillar
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s of the nave and the side walls are of unequal length, because there were not anymore any oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
trees long enough to construct them. Also, some have a footing of stone, some of greater or lesser height, and some have no footing.
The bays for the choir, redone in the 19th century, are of rather mediocre quality, and the roof above is higher than those of the older parts.
The church is partially covered in chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
shingles, which are called « essentes » in the local dialect.
The "neonorman" porch was built following the model of rural Normandy churches at the beginning fo the 20th century, and replaced a monumental doorway in neo-classical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style from the previous century (which can be seen in certain canvases by Jongkind or Boudin
Eugène Boudin
Eugène Boudin was one of the first French landscape painters to paint outdoors.Boudin was a marine painter, and expert in the rendering of all that goes upon the sea and along its shores...
. The doorway itself was in Renaissance style.
It is worth noting that the classical organ comes from the parish St. Vincent 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...
, and the Renaissance balcony is decorated with musicians. Nineteenth century stained glass decorates the windows of the east choir.
The building lacks a transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
and the lateral walls of the chapels are uniquely adorned by statues of recent saints, including two local ones: saint Marcouf et sainte Thérèse de Lisieux
Thérèse de Lisieux
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux , or Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, born Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin, was a French Carmelite nun...
.
Others
- Église Saint-Étienne (St. Stephen's Church). An old parish church in Gothic style, dating in part to the 14th and 15th centuries. It is the oldest in the city. It is constructed of chalkChalkChalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
with flintFlintFlint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
and of Caen stoneCaen stoneCaen stone or Pierre de Caen, is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in northwestern France near the city of Caen.The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about 167 million years ago...
, the city of Honfleur being located at the border of those two calcareous rock formations. The bell-tower is covered with a façade essentage of chestnut wood. Today, it is next door to the Naval Museum. - Église Saint-Léonard (St. Leonard's Church), with a flamboyant Gothic style façade; the rest of the building was rebuilt in the 17th-18th centuries, which explains the unusual form of the bell-tower which forms a sort of a domeDomeA dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
.
The interior is entirely painted in murals, including the visible wooden vaulting.
- Salt barns. Two barns remain out of three originals, one having been destroyed by fire. These two buildings contained 10000 tonne of salt for preserving the catch of this important fishing port. They were constructed in the 17th century, after the citizens received permission from ColbertJean-Baptiste ColbertJean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing...
. The bulk of the salt came from Brouage. The walls were constructed with great blocks of chalky limestone and wooden vaulting, which, being constructed by naval carpenters, evoke the hulls of vessels of the 17th century. - Chapelle de Grâce (Grace Chapel). This building was reconstructed after the cliff collapsed. On the exterior, one can see pilgrimagePilgrimageA pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
bells. - Le cotre Sainte-Bernadette, the last crayfishing sloop which is still in shape to sail. It belongs to the La chaloupe d'Honfleur (Honfleur Sloop) association. It was enrolled as a historic monument of France (monuments historiques) as of 18 October 1983.
- The commune was rated 4 flowers (of 4) in the Concours des villes et villages fleuris.
Museums
- Museum Eugène BoudinEugène BoudinEugène Boudin was one of the first French landscape painters to paint outdoors.Boudin was a marine painter, and expert in the rendering of all that goes upon the sea and along its shores...
- Museum Erik SatieErik SatieÉric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde...
- Vieux Honfleur Museum (Old Honfleur)
- Naval Museum
Personalities
- Denis of the NativityDenis of the NativityBlessed Denis of the Nativity, O.C.D. was a French sailor and cartographer for the king of Portugal, who later became a Discalced Carmelite missionary...
(né Pierre Berthelot), Catholic martyr - Jean Doublet, corsair
- Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, rear admiral
- Alphonse AllaisAlphonse AllaisAlphonse Allais was a French writer and humorist born in Honfleur, Calvados.He is the author of many collections of whimsical writings. A poet as much as a humorist, he in particular cultivated the verse form known as holorhyme, i.e. made up entirely of homophonous verses, where entire lines rhyme...
, writer and humorist - Eugène BoudinEugène BoudinEugène Boudin was one of the first French landscape painters to paint outdoors.Boudin was a marine painter, and expert in the rendering of all that goes upon the sea and along its shores...
, painter - Christopher RocancourtChristopher RocancourtChristophe Thierry Rocancourt, sometimes also called Christopher Rocancourt, is an impostor, confidence man and gentleman thief who scammed affluent people by masquerading as a French member of the Rockefeller family.-Biography:He told Dateline NBC in a 2006 broadcast that his mother sometimes...
, impostorImpostorAn impostor or imposter is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but just as often for purposes of espionage or law enforcement....
and con artist - Erik SatieErik SatieÉric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde...
, musician - Michel DaninoMichel DaninoMichel Danino , is a French‐born Indian author who has been living in Tamil Nadu, India since 1977.He participated in the translation and publication of the works of Sri Aurobindo and of The Mother...
, author - Stéphane Ferrand, wildlife photographer
- Jehan Denis, navigator
Twin towns — Sister cities
Honfleur is twinned with: SandwichSandwich, Kent
Sandwich is a historic town and civil parish on the River Stour in the Non-metropolitan district of Dover, within the ceremonial county of Kent, south-east England. It has a population of 6,800....
, England Wörth am Main
Wörth am Main
Wörth am Main is a town in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- Location :...
, Germany Honfleur, Quebec
Honfleur, Quebec
Honfleur is a small village of approximately 866 people in the Bellechasse Regional County Municipality, part of the Chaudière-Appalaches administrative region...
Onomichi
Onomichi, Hiroshima
is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, facing the Inland Sea.As of January 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 148,085 and a population density of 520 persons per km². The total area is 284.85 km²...
, Japan