Manuscripts town, Avranches invites its visitors to discover its Mont-Saint-Michel manuscripts museum. The Scriptorial d'Avranches is home to a prestigious collection of medieval manuscripts. An exceptional written heritage not to be missed!
Not to be missed: the botanical garden and its viewpoint indicator, which offers a wonderful panoramic view of the Mont-Saint-Michel bay.
Town of La Manche, in Normandy, Avranches takes place on the southern coast of the department, in the heart of the Avranchin country. The one called the City of Manuscripts is facing the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, not far from Villedieu-les-Poeles, Pontorson or Saint-James.
Occupied by the people of the Abrincates in antiquity, the territory of Avranches sees the birth of the city from this period, especially during the battle between Quintus Titurius Sabinus and Viridovix, in - 56 BC. Called Legedia, the city became bishopric seat in the fifth century and sees a few centuries later its history closely linked with that of Mont Saint-Michel. Royal city in the twelfth century, it is heavily ravaged by the Hundred Years War, then agitated by the rebellion of barefoot in 1639 and the war of Vendée in the late eighteenth century. Greatly destroyed by the Allied bombing of the Second World War, it began its reconstruction in 1946.
From its rich past, Avranches has managed to preserve some monuments that are worth visiting to better know the history of this region full of treasures.
Built in the early 11th century, the donjon is the work of Robert of Avranches, illegitimate son of Duke Richard I. Raised on the remains of an ancient Roman castellum, it collapsed in the 19th century after being crossed by a new street. A curtain and a tower adorned with battlements, still present, are wrongly called dungeon today.
Classified as a Historical Monument, the Grand-Doyenne dates from the 12th century. Former mansion of the family Subligny, it became with time the residence of the deans of the cathedral chapter of Avranches.
Rebuilt in the early 10th century, St. Andrew's Cathedral is a Romanesque building completely destroyed in the nineteenth century following the collapse of the vault of the cross. In its place has been laid Thomas Beckett Square at the entrance of which we can discover a tombstone located on the site where Henry II Plantagenet came to penance for the murder of Thomas Beckett.
Formerly located outside the city, the church Notre-Dame des Champs dates from the end of the 17th century. Very simple, it was completely redone in the second half of the 19th century because it became too narrow. Severely damaged by the bombings of 1944, it was reopened to the public in the early 1960s.
Built in the middle of the 17th century, the Basilica of St. Gervais was rebuilt in the first half of the 19th century in a charming neoclassical style. It is still possible to see inside the collections of the small museum of the treasure, with in particular very beautiful pieces of liturgical goldsmith's work.
Opened in the second half of the 2000s, the Scriptorial is the museum of manuscripts of Mont-Saint-Michel. It has more than 200 medieval volumes including rich translations of works of antiquity by Plato, Cicero or Aristotle. He exhibited in particular the first edition of the Encyclopedia of Diderot and Alembert, or the cartulary of Mont-Saint-Michel written over three centuries from the twelfth century. Appreciated for the richness of his illustrations and the quality of his parchment, he lists the charters and other acts of the time. It is all the more valuable as the originals of the texts he presents burned in June 1944.
The Museum of Art and History of Avranches, labeled Museum of France, is also appreciated for its collections.
While strolling in the city, you will also be able to discover the memorial to Patton, the former episcopal palace of the fourteenth century which serves as court of instance, the college of the end of the eighteenth century, the mansions of Malloué and Beaurepaire, or still the old abbey Sainte-Anne de Moutons founded by Louis XIII in the seventeenth century and today serves as a theater and cultural center.
Awarded three flowers in the contest of towns and villages in bloom France, the city also has many green spaces like the garden of plants offering a breathtaking view of the Sée and the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel and which reveals the old well the Abbey of Moutons and the Romanesque portal of the Saint-Georges Chapel of Bouillés, both listed as Historical Monuments.
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The market is held every Saturday morning. A Christmas market is also offered in December. Three times a year, the Scriptorial offers temporary exhibitions.
Concerts are offered during the Fête de la Musique on June 21.
A ball, a torchlight retreat and fireworks are organized for July 14 and the national holiday.
Between July and August, the town participates in the Festival des Grandes Marées event, hosting several concerts by national and international artists.
