Abbey of Saint-Étienne, Caen

About this place

The Abbey of Saint-Étienne, also known as Abbaye aux Hommes by contrast with the Abbaye aux Dames, is a former Benedictine monastery in the French city of Caen, Normandy, dedicated to Saint Stephen. It was founded in 1063 by William the Conqueror and is one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Normandy. The concurrent founding of the Abbey of Saint-Étienne to the west of the Caen Castle and the Abbey of Sainte-Trinité to its East were to enhance the development of the new ducal capital, and may have been a result of the reconciliation process of William, Duke of Normandy, and Pope Leo IX. As you explore, compare the building itself with its decoration and later additions. Differences in materials, forms and imagery can reveal successive periods of patronage, making the visit a way to understand how religious places evolved over time.