Second largest city of the Channel, just after Cherbourg, Saint-Lô is the Prefecture of the Normandy department. City martyrdom of World War II, it was severely affected at this sad time, obtaining the nickname Capital of Ruins.
At the heart of the Cotentin peninsula, a few kilometers from the sea of the Channel, the city of Saint-Lô is now considered the capital of the Horse. Proud of its roots, which date back to Viking times, the city can appreciate a rich heritage and beautiful buildings. Surrounded by ramparts, the prefectural city still allows to realize the former wealth of the city before its destruction.
City Saint-Lô is resolutely turned towards the future city. In the middle of the old stones, modern buildings stand, blending perfectly with past, present and future.
Between walks in Normandy, and tasting a rich and subtle cuisine that blends seafood and local produce such as cream, milk or butter, visitors have plenty to enjoy their stay Saint-Lô.
If Saint-Lô suffered greatly during the Second World War and lost part of its architectural heritage, the town does not have one less beautiful sites to discover.
Built in the late thirteenth century, the church Our Lady of Saint-Lô is a superb gothic monument. Listed historical monument, it is located in the enclosure surrounded the city walls. If the building has suffered bombings, it has retained its beautiful stained glass windows, filed in the Second World War.
Many Saint-Lô sites were listed as Historic Monuments, like the Magdalen Chapel, Castle Vaucelle that greeted the three kings, Edward III, Francis I and Charles IX, or of the Holy Cross Church. The National Stud and its grounds, are also classified. Erected between 1882 and 1890, the current buildings were rebuilt identically after the Second World War. Today the site hosts nearly forty stallions Norman cobs and French stool. Many events are organized in the summer.
Public hospital, the hospital memorial France - United States was classified as an historic monument in 2008. It was built after collecting donations, from 1947, following the horrors of World War II.
The city walls of Saint-Lô remain on three of four sides of the Yard. Their heights, one can enjoy an amazing view over the Vire and the Powder Tower, a military relic.
The Museum of Fine Arts houses since the late 1980s the collections of the city including paintings by Corot and Eugène Boudin to.
Set in a seventeenth-century farmhouse, the Normandy museum aims to trace the history and ethnography of agriculture in Normandy. A workshop, stables, a barn or a butter have been rebuilt there.
Many parks situated throughout Saint-Lô, like green beach, Vire Islands, the towpath, or public garden located in the Yard.
Saint-Lô, despite its painful past, has retained a love of life that permeates all the events offered by the city.
In June, the feast of the Vire and Associations and the opportunity to enjoy numerous festivities. A regional market offers the best products of the area, village associations to discover the different activities of the city, while traditional wooden games or sports activities are offered.
The appointments are an ambitious sonic festival full of originality. In November, the city of Saint-Lô offers concerts of all kinds of music, be it pop, folk, hip-hop or electro.
Many markets Saint-Lô take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays morning in different places of the city. From June to early September Virées offer local regional market and crafts on the green beach, Thursday evening.
Exposition : Les Enfants de la Résistance
- From 9 april to 4 may 2024
- Place du Champ-de-Mars
- June 1940. The French army could no longer repel the German military forces. The debacle ! - In a small village in the east of France, François, Eusèbe and Lisa courageously join the Resistance network. Their adventures, full of twists and turns, are recounted in the famous comic strip Les Enfants de la Résistance ? - Visit the "L a Source" media library in Saint-Lô and rediscover them in this fun and educational exhibition, on loan from the Bibliothèque Départementale de la Manche.
Expo Philippe Bertin
- From 16 april to 11 may 2024
- Médiathèque La Source, place du champ de Mars
- From April 16 to May 11 at Saint-Lô's "La Source" media library, you can admire an exhibition of the 44 portrait plates in Philippe Bertin's book.
Théâtre Saint-Lô > "Les Yeux Fermés..."
- On 19 april 2024
- Rue Octave Feuillet
- Join us on April 19 at 8.30pm at the Saint-Lô theater for the show "Les yeux fermés…" with the S'poart company. - For Les Yeux fermés…, choreographer Mickaël Le Mer draws inspiration from the world of painter Pierre Soulages, a master of the color black made famous by his monochrome canvases known as "Outrenoir". What fascinates him in these works is above all the way light reflects and comes to life on the material. The black of Pierre Soulages also recalls the black of the stage lit by spotlights. In this way, Mickaël Le Mer transforms the stage into a universe where light is reflected on the set, on the costumes and on the moving bodies of the dancers. With Les Yeux fermés ? He continues his exploration of multi-influenced hip hop. The 8 dancers start out in the dark to seek out the light. Little by little, it takes possession of the stage, the bodies reveal themselves, the vibrations and reflections interact with the movements, right up to the final apotheosis in which brilliance floods the stage and the hall, in a celebration of life and joy, in communion with the audience. - Choreography : Mickaël Le Mer - Assistant choreographer : Lise Dusuel - Dancers : Wifried Ebongue Moungui, Dara You, Audrey Lambert, Jeanne Azoulay, Teddy Verardo, Agnès Salés Martin, Fanny Bouddavong, Elie Tremblay - Lighting designer : Nicolas Tallec - Stage managers : William Languillat, David Normand - Set designer : Guillaume Cousin - Soundtrack : David Charrier - Costume design : Elodie Gaillard - Outside view Laurent Brethome - Photos : ©DR. - Running time 1 hr 10 mins - For all audiences (from age 10). - Online ticketing or information on 02 33 57 11 49.
L'Évasion de l'Aviateur Anglais...
- From 20 april to 4 may 2024
- Place du Champ-de-Mars
- Like François, Lisa and Eusèbe, you decide to join the LYNX network. Your first mission is to help an Allied pilot, Jack, reach England. False papers, a safe house, ration coupons and secret codes… nothing must be left to chance ! - Open-access treasure hunt during opening hours (ages 8 and up) - Contact the youth reception desk at the "La Source" media library in Saint-Lô.
Visite Thématique > "La Main Dans l'art"
- On 21 april 2024
- Place du Champ-de-Mars
- The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire offers a themed tour of "The hand in art", at 3pm (duration 1h). - This tour will give you a first-hand look at the symbolism of the hand, which plays a key role in the museum's works.
Les Ateliers Vacances > "Moi, Chevalier"
- On 23 april 2024
- Place du Champ-de-Mars
- The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire offers a vacation workshop entitled "Moi, Chevalier", at 3pm (duration 1h30), for 6/12 year-olds. - After a tour of the museum, little knights will create their own coat of arms, choosing their colors and emblems.
Atelier > L'Atelier Jardin du Mois
- On 24 april 2024
- 10 Rue Saint-Georges
- On Wednesday, April 24,2024, the Pavillon des Energies is offering the Garden of the Month workshop from 2 to 3:30 pm. - A fun activity for young and old in the Lieu-Dix vegetable garden, every last Wednesday of the month (February to October), focusing on natural gardening. Come and get your hands dirty and discover this activity, which will change with the seasons. - Reservations required.
Les Ateliers du Jeudi au Musée du Bocage Normand "L'Alchimiste Végétal"
- On 25 april 2024
- Place du Champ-de-Mars
- The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire offers a workshop at the Musée du Bocage Normand "L'alchimiste végétal", at 3pm (duration 1h30), for 6/12 year-olds. - After leaving ephemeral traces of color in the Boisjugan park, budding artists will improvise as color chemists to experiment with making plant-based paints.
Atelier > Découvrir et Accueillir les Abeilles Sauvages
- On 25 april 2024
- 10 Rue Saint-Georges
- On Thursday, April 25,2024, from 2pm to 3pm, the Pavillon des Energies is offering a workshop on bees entitled "Discovering and welcoming wild bees" (ages 5 and up). - Discover the life of wild bees and their essential role in the environment, followed by the construction of a small refuge and advice on how to give them a place in our gardens/balconies. - Reservations required.
Les Activités 3/6 ans > "Dans Tous ses États"
- On 26 april 2024
- Place du Champ-de-Mars
- The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire is offering a "Dans tous ses états" activity on Friday April 26,2024, at 11 a.m. (duration 45 min.), for 3/6 year-olds (free for accompanying adults). - This visit will introduce children to the world of emotions by observing, listening, drawing and miming. In the workshop, the puppets created by the children will come to life !
