Verneuil-sur-Avre
Verneuil-sur-Avre is a former commune in the Eure department in Normandy in northern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Verneuil d'Avre et d'Iton.
History
Following the revolt of the nobles of 1118-1120, Verneuil-sur-Avre was founded in 1120 by Henry I, the fourth son of William the Conqueror. Some of the main rebels were Richer de l'Aigle, Robert de Neubourg and Eustace of Breteuil who all possessed territory in the surrounding area. Once these rebels submitted to Henry I, the fortifications in Verneuil-sur-Avre were intended to control the region.In August 1424, during the Hundred Years' War the battle of Verneuil was fought just to the north of the town. An English army of 9,000 men beat a joint Franco-Scottish army of 15,000 men and as a result gained control of Normandy and Aquitaine and destroyed Scottish participation in the war. The town was recaptured in 1449.
Main sights
There are several landmarks in Verneuil-sur-Avre that are worthy of interest:- the , which was labelled a “monument historique” in 1862, has become the emblem of the city. Its tower is a well-known example of the late-gothic style. The tower culminates at 56 metres, and is visible from the entire surrounding countryside and, in winter, from as far away as the Chartres Cathedral. This building has been compared to the Tour du Beurre of the Rouen Cathedral and the lantern-tower of the Abbaye Saint-Ouen de Rouen, also in Rouen, despite being smaller. This tower is known to be one of the sources of inspiration for the Tribune Tower in Chicago, a 141-metre-high skyscraper built in 1925.
- the Eglise Notre-Dame
- the Tour Grise was erected by the French king Philip Augustus. It was named for the stones used in its construction, which are brown and called “grison”.
- the Abbaye Saint-Nicolas
- the Espace Saint-Laurent, a former church currently used as an exhibition hall
- the ruins of the Eglise Saint-Jean, which was bombed during WWII, in 1944
- the building that currently houses the Jerôme Carcopino Municipal Library, named for an historian from Verneuil-sur-Avre. This building has been labelled a “monument historique”.