Avranches

In antiquity, it was called Ingena and was the center of the Gallic tribe of the ^[3] . Around 56 BC was conquered by Caesar , after which it was called Legedia, as mentioned by the Peitinger table . At the end of the 3rd century, it was destroyed by Saxon pirates attacking the northern borders of the Roman Empire , after which a fort was built here, which was part of the so-called Saxon coast - a complex of defensive structures erected by the Romans to protect the coast of Gaul .

At the end of the 5th century, Avranches became the residence of the bishop, thanks to which a cathedral was built in the city. Among the bishops of Avranches, Saint Aubert is best known, who, according to legend, Archangel Michael instructed to build a church on a nearby rock, turning the tide into an island, thereby establishing Mont Saint-Michel .

In the 10th century, Avranches became part of the youngest branch of the Norman House, coming from the youngest son of Duke Richard I. Hugo d'Avranche, 1st Earl of Chester in 1066 accompanied William the Conqueror , and after the conquest of England he became one of the largest English magnates. In the XI century, the city gained fame thanks to the famous English scholastic Lanfranc , who founded an important school ^[3] (1039). In 1172, the English king Henry Plantagenet publicly repented of the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket (1170) in the Avranches Cathedral (demolished in 1794)

The city repeatedly passed from hand to hand during the Hundred Years War , was destroyed by the Huguenots in 1562 during the Religious Wars . In 1639, Avranches became the center of the uprising of the “barefoot” protesting against the salt tax.

In the 20th century, the capture of Avranches by the forces of General George Patton was one of the key episodes of Operation Overlord (June 6, 1944).

• Scripture (Le Scriptorial), a manuscript museum from the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel , which stores more than 200 medieval documents
• Donjon, the surviving part of the 11th century castle
• The building of the dean's office (the residence of the district vicar) of the XII-XVIII centuries
• Church of Notre Dame de Cham of the XIX century, built in neo-Gothic style
• Thomas Becket Square on the site of the former cathedral, destroyed in the late 13th - early 19th centuries
• Church of Saint-Saturnin, completely reconstructed in the XIX century with the preservation of fragments of the old church of the XIII-XVI centuries
• Basilica of Saint-Gervais d'Avranches, built in the 19th century in neo-Gothic style
• The current Benedictine monastery of St. Anne of the XVII century
• War Memorial to American Soldiers Liberating the Avranches in 1944
• Botanical Garden

The city’s economy is primarily focused on tourism, thanks to the nearby Mont Saint-Michel .

Employment structure:

• agriculture - 0.1%
• industry - 13.8%
• construction - 6.5%
• trade, transport and services - 34.4%
• state and municipal services - 45.1%

The unemployment rate (2014) is 16.0% (France as a whole - 13.5%, the Manche department - 11.3%).
The average annual income per person, euro (2014) - 18 566 (France as a whole - 20 150, the Manche department - 19 548).

Population dynamics, people

Since 2014, David Nicolas has been the Mayor of Avranches. In the 2014 municipal elections, his independent list won in the 1st round, gaining 53.58% of the vote and ahead of the right list of the current mayor, deputy of the French National Assembly Guénhaël Huet, who led the city administration since 2001.

•   Crediton , UK
•   St. Helier , Jersey
•   Korbach , Germany
•   Saint-Gaudens , France

• Jean-Marie Vallubert (1764-1805), general, participant in the Napoleonic Wars
• Jean-Luc Ponti (1942), jazz violinist and composer
• Samuel Le Bian (1965), actor

•  

  Donjon

•  

  Church of Notre Dame de Cham

•  

  Basilica of Saint-Gervais

•  

  Patton Square

•  

  Botanical Garden

• List of counties in France

• National Institute of Statistics
• 2014 municipal election results