Sainte-Mère-Église church, "The D-Day church" Sainte-Mère-Église church, "The D-Day church"ID: Secanda 19.2 (2019-08-11)
Version: 1a (2019-08-11)
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Scale: 1:100
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Including a notice: Yes
File: secanda_19_2_v_1_a_ste_mere.pdf (8 522 Kb)
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About...
Notre-Dame de l’Assomption Church dates mainly from the 13th and 14th century and replaced an 11th century building of which only a few traces remain. It is a fine example of the Norman Gothic style.
However, it’s not for its undeniable architectural interest that this beautiful church is today worldwide known. It went down indeed in history on the night of June 5 to 6, 1944 when the American paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airbone Division jumped on Sainte-Mère-Église to establish a bridgehead behind the lines German of Utah Beach. This major episode of the D-Day will then be immortalized in the film The Longest Day. The bitter fighting of the paratroopers will make Ste-Mère-Église the first liberated commune of continental France (although a few other municipalities dispute this title).
The tower of this church is for years wearing a dummy paratrooper hanging from a corner pinnacle. This is reminiscent of the story of paratrooper John Steele who was hanging on the tower for a few hours during the fighting; a famous scene of the film quoted which is not for nothing in the celebrity of this church!
Originally dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, this church and its parish will be renamed Our Lady of Peace after the WW2. Both names are now used in parallel.
Sainte-Mère-Église Church is listed in the Monuments Historiques (Historical French Heritage) since 1840.
License: common law (copyright) | Author: Secanda
Free use for private purposes. Any commercial use is prohibited.
Categories: Churches, Chapels and Abbeys | Middle Ages s.l. | Late Middle Ages | France | France/Normandy |
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