Resilience and Renaissance of a Historic Jewel
It dominates Caudebec-en-Caux with its splendour and majesty. Yet since the Renaissance, the church has fallen on hard times. During the Council of Thirty and even more so during the French Revolution, it was the target of damage. Its salvation came when it was listed as a historic monument in the mid-19th century.
The church of Notre-Dame was then pampered for a century. Several episodes of restoration enabled it to retain all its beauty.
The year 1940 could have been fatal to it. Following an Allied bombardment, the town of Caudebec-en-Caux was partly destroyed by a huge fire. The church remained standing, but the damage was extensive. It was not until 50 years later, in 1990, that the restoration work begun in the aftermath of the Second World War came to an end, restoring the church to its former glory.
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