Bayeux

The breathtaking beauty of Bayeux’s tapestry and cathedral never disappoints, as Rudolf Abraham discovers on a visit to the historic city in Normandy

- Rudolf Abraham

The place to begin any tour of Bayeux is with a view of its magnificent cathedral – best appreciated from the corner of Rue Larcher, turning from red to gold in the early morning light.

Consecrated in the presence of William the Conqueror on 14 July 1077, by his half-brother Bishop Odo de Conteville – who is thought to have commissioned the Bayeux Tapestry and likely intended it to be hung in the nave – the Notre-Dame de Bayeux cathedral is a fine example of Norman RomanesqueGothic architecture.

The west façade has five doors, which make a suitably grand impression although the two outer doors are blind. Inside you’ll find some fantastic diapering (that’s the decorative patterns carved into the stone, nothing to do with nappies) and magnificent, ornately carved wooden pews.

History meets art

Next door to the cathedral is the excellent Musée d’Art et d’Histoire Baron Gérard, based on a group of paintings donated to the city by the Conseiller général of Calvados, Baron Henri-Alexandre Gérard, in 1899. It has been continually enlarged since then with donations from the Louvre and Orsay museums, as well as private individuals.