Lisieux

Quality 0.50 · 1 view · Updated 2 months ago

Subprefecture and commune in Normandy, France

title: "Lisieux" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lisieux", "communes-of-calvados-(department)", "subprefectures-in-france", "lexovii", "gallia-lugdunensis"] description: "Subprefecture and commune in Normandy, France" topic_path: "geography/france" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisieux" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Subprefecture and commune in Normandy, France ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox French commune"]

FieldValue
nameLisieux
commune statusSubprefecture and commune
imageLisieux-mairie.jpg
captionTown hall
image coat of armsBlason Lisieux.svg
arrondissementLisieux
cantonLisieux
INSEE14366
postal code14100
mayorSébastien Leclerc
term2020–2026
intercommunalityCA Lisieux Normandie
coordinates
elevation min m32
elevation max m152
area km213.07
population
population date
population footnotes
population_demonymLexoviens
::

|name = Lisieux |commune status = Subprefecture and commune |image = Lisieux-mairie.jpg |caption = Town hall |image coat of arms = Blason Lisieux.svg |arrondissement = Lisieux |canton = Lisieux |INSEE = 14366 |postal code = 14100 |mayor = Sébastien Leclerc |term = 2020–2026 |intercommunality = CA Lisieux Normandie |coordinates = |elevation m = |elevation min m = 32 |elevation max m = 152 |area km2 = 13.07 |population = |population date = |population footnotes = |population_demonym = Lexoviens

Lisieux () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland.

Etymology

Name

The name of the town derives from the ("Noviomagus of the Lexovii"). The town was originally known in Celtic as Novio Magos ("New Field", "New Market"), which was Latinized as Noviomagus. Owing to the large number of similarly named cities, however, it was necessary to specify where this one was located. The local French demonym Lexoviens derives from the Latin as well.

History

Antiquity

Lisieux was the capital of the Lexovii. In his work, Commentaries on the Gallic War, Caesar mentions a Gallic oppidum, a term which refers to Celtic towns located on the tops of hills. The oppidum has been pinpointed to a place referred to as le Castellier, located 3 km to the southwest of the town. However the Gallo-Roman city was in fact located where Lisieux is to be found today.

Middle Ages

Lisieux was an important center of power in medieval times. The bishopric of Lisieux controlled most of the Pays d'Auge by the 12th century. King Henry II of England was staying in Lisieux when he announced plans to marry Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152,{{multiref||{{Cite book |last=Weir |first=Alison |author-link=Alison Weir|title=Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GtToRDyWXJcC |publisher=Random House Publishing Group|location=New York|date=2012|orig-date=1999 |isbn= 978-0-307-83185-9 |at=Chap. 6}}}} and the town remained powerful for several centuries afterwards. In the 14th century, the triple scourges of the Plague, war and resulting famine devastated Lisieux and reduced its influence. The main judge of Joan of Arc, Pierre Cauchon, became a bishop of Lisieux after Joan's death, and is buried in the Lady Chapel of the cathedral.

Events

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/The_British_Army_in_Normandy_1944_B9614.jpg" caption="Lisieux during the [[Second World War"] ::

  • 4th century: Presence of the Germanic laeti, auxiliaries of the Roman Army, who settled in Lisieux with their families. Their graves have been discovered in the “Michelet” necropolis, some of which contain artefacts typical of northern Germania.
  • 1432: Pierre Cauchon, the supreme judge during the trial of Joan of Arc at Rouen became the bishop of Lisieux. He commissioned the building of the side chapel of the cathedral, in which he is now buried.
  • 1590: During the Eighth War of Religion, Henri IV had to fight to win back his kingdom. When he arrived at Lisieux he took the town without force, after the garrison had fled the town.
  • 1897: Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face, died in the Carmelite monastery at Lisieux. In 1925, she would be canonized as "St. Thérèse of Lisieux".
  • 1907: The first helicopter flight, piloted by Paul Cornu.
  • 1937: Monseigneur Eugenio Pacelli, papal legate and future Pope Pius XII, visited Lisieux.
  • 6/7 June 1944: An Allied bombardment killed 800 people and destroyed two thirds of the town.
  • 23 August 1944: Liberation by the Allied troops.
  • 1960: Lisieux merged with the Saint-Jacques commune.
  • 2 June 1980: Pope John-Paul II visited Lisieux.

Geography

Lisieux is situated on the confluence of the river Touques and many of its tributaries: the rivers Orbiquet, Cirieux and Graindain.

The town is in the heart of the Pays d'Auge, of which it is the capital. Lisieux is therefore surrounded by Normandy's typical hedged farmland, where there is a mix of livestock farming (mostly milk cows) and cider apple cultivation (from which cider and calvados are made, not forgetting pommeau).

Climate

Lisieux has a temperate oceanic humid climate.

|metric first=y |single line=y |collapsed = |location = Lisieux (1994–2020 normals, extremes 1994-present) |Jan record high C = 17.5 |Feb record high C = 21.3 |Mar record high C = 26.1 |Apr record high C = 28.4 |May record high C = 31.8 |Jun record high C = 37.7 |Jul record high C = 40.5 |Aug record high C = 40.0 |Sep record high C = 34.3 |Oct record high C = 29.4 |Nov record high C = 23.1 |Dec record high C = 17.6 |year record high C = 40.5 |Jan high C = 8.5 |Feb high C = 9.7 |Mar high C = 12.6 |Apr high C = 15.9 |May high C = 18.9 |Jun high C = 22.2 |Jul high C = 24.3 |Aug high C = 24.2 |Sep high C = 21.4 |Oct high C = 17.1 |Nov high C = 12.2 |Dec high C = 9.0 | year high C = 16.3 |Jan mean C = 5.5 |Feb mean C = 6.0 |Mar mean C = 8.1 |Apr mean C = 10.4 |May mean C = 13.6 |Jun mean C = 16.7 |Jul mean C = 18.6 |Aug mean C = 18.5 |Sep mean C = 15.8 |Oct mean C = 12.7 |Nov mean C = 8.6 |Dec mean C = 6.0 | year mean C = 11.7 |Jan low C = 2.4 |Feb low C = 2.3 |Mar low C = 3.5 |Apr low C = 4.9 |May low C = 8.3 |Jun low C = 11.2 |Jul low C = 13.0 |Aug low C = 12.8 |Sep low C = 10.2 |Oct low C = 8.2 |Nov low C = 5.1 |Dec low C = 2.9 | year low C = 7.1 |Jan record low C = -12.0 |Feb record low C = -14.8 |Mar record low C = -9.3 |Apr record low C = -5.0 |May record low C = -1.0 |Jun record low C = 3.0 |Jul record low C = 0.0 |Aug record low C = 5.0 |Sep record low C = 0.2 |Oct record low C = -7.0 |Nov record low C = -7.0 |Dec record low C = -11.0 |year record low C = -14.8 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 82.2 |Feb precipitation mm = 69.3 |Mar precipitation mm = 64.2 |Apr precipitation mm = 62.1 |May precipitation mm = 65.5 |Jun precipitation mm = 67.9 |Jul precipitation mm = 56.4 |Aug precipitation mm = 66.4 |Sep precipitation mm = 68.5 |Oct precipitation mm = 85.6 |Nov precipitation mm = 87.2 |Dec precipitation mm = 106.1 |year precipitation mm = 881.4 |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm | Jan precipitation days = 13.6 | Feb precipitation days = 12.0 | Mar precipitation days = 11.0 | Apr precipitation days = 10.3 | May precipitation days = 10.0 | Jun precipitation days = 9.3 | Jul precipitation days = 9.3 | Aug precipitation days = 9.4 | Sep precipitation days = 9.7 | Oct precipitation days = 12.5 | Nov precipitation days = 13.7 | Dec precipitation days = 14.8 | year precipitation days =135.6 |source 1 = Meteociel{{cite web |url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=14366002 |title=Normales et records pour Lisieux (14) |publisher=Meteociel |access-date=20 November 2024}}}}

Transport

The town of Lisieux is served by a bus network called Lexobus, with 6 routes. The town is also linked to surrounding towns and villages by a network of buses; Bus Verts du Calvados. The main railway station, Lisieux station, which is the connecting station between the Paris-Cherbourg and Paris-Trouville/Deauville main lines, is served by Transport express régional (regional express) trains on the TER Normandie routes. The station appeared in the film Un singe en hiver by Henri Verneuil. There is another station on the line to Deauville: Le Grand-Jardin station.

To reach the town by car, the D613 (formerly route nationale 13) from Paris to Cherbourg crosses the town from east to west. The second main road serving Lisieux is the D579, leading to Deauville to the north and the department of Orne to the south. Lisieux benefits from a bypass, built in the 1990s, running to the south of the town, easing traffic in the town-centre, particularly on boulevard Sainte-Anne.

Religion

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Lisieux-Cathedrale.jpg" caption="[[Lisieux Cathedral"] ::

Since the Middle Ages Lisieux has been the seat of one of the seven Roman Catholic dioceses of Normandy under the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical province of Rouen. The bishopric was abolished in 1801 before being recreated and merged with that of Bayeux in 1855, under the new name of "Bayeux and Lisieux".

The best-known of the Bishops of Lisieux is Pierre Cauchon, who had a decisive influence during the trial of Joan of Arc. He is buried in Lisieux Cathedral.

Devotion to Sainte-Thérèse also known as St. Teresa of the Child Jesus who lived in the nearby Carmelite convent has made Lisieux France's second-most important site of pilgrimage, after the Pyrenean town of Lourdes. Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux died in 1897, she was canonized in 1925 and named a doctor of the church by Pope John Paul II in 1997.

Administration

Mayors of Lisieux

List of everyone who has held the position of Mayor of Lisieux:

::data[format=table title="List of mayors"]

TermNamePartyProfession
2020incumbentSébastien Leclerc
March 20012020Bernard AubrilUMP
19892001Yvette RoudyPS
19771989André-Eugène Baugé
19531977Robert Bisson
19451953André Carles
1945Casimir Hue
19361945Albert Degrenne
19321936Henry Chéron
19091932Arthur Lesigne
19081909Joseph Guillonneau
18941908Henry Chéron
18811894Théodule Peulevey
18781881Louis Michel
18751878Léopold Frauque
18711875Jules Prat
18531871François Fauque
18481853Victor Godefroy
18471848Jean-Lambert Fournet
18421847Adrien-Benjamin Formeville
18321842François-Pierre Leroy-Beaulieu
18161832Joseph-François de Bellemare
18131816Jean-Jacques Nasse
18081813Louis-Jacques-Hippolyte Thillaye du Boullay
17981808Jean-Jacques Nasse
1797Guillaume-François Riquier
1796Pierre Lerebours
1795Jean-Baptiste Vergé
1795Michel Bloche
1794Jean Coessin
1793Louis-Jean-René Prieur
1792Michel Bloche
1791Thomas Gannel
1790François-Pierre Leroy-Beaulieu
::

International relations

Lisieux is twinned with:

Population

, Lisieux is Calvados' third largest commune in terms of population, after Caen and Hérouville-Saint-Clair. Its functional urban area of 55,168 inhabitants is the second largest of the department, after Caen. The inhabitants of Lisieux are known as Lexoviens.

| align = none | cols = 2 | percentages = pagr | source = EHESS and INSEE | graph-pos = bottom |1793|10118 |1800|10171 |1806|10937 |1821|10403 |1831|10257 |1836|11473 |1841|11378 |1846|11968 |1851|11754 |1856|12993 |1861|13121 |1866|12617 |1872|18341 |1876|18396 |1881|16039 |1886|16267 |1891|16260 |1896|16349 |1901|16084 |1906|16239 |1911|15948 |1921|15341 |1926|15192 |1931|15362 |1936|16032 |1946|12746 |1954|15342 |1962|21156 |1968|23830 |1975|25521 |1982|24940 |1990|23703 |1999|23166 |2007|22700 |2012|21170 |2017|20318

Sights

About 60 percent of the town was destroyed in 1944, so few of the monuments have been preserved.

Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Basilique_Sainte-Thérèse_de_Lisieux-2876.jpg" caption="Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux"] ::

The Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux was constructed in honour of Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux, who was beatified in 1923 and canonized in 1925. It was built for pilgrims who came in increasing numbers to venerate the new saint in the town where she had lived and died.

Carmel of Lisieux

It is possible to visit the chapel and exterior of the Carmel or monastery where Thérèse lived, but the remainder of the building is closed to visitors.

Château de Saint-Germain-de-Livet

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Chateau_St_Germain_de_Livet(Vue_Sud).JPG" caption="Château de Saint-Germain-de-Livet from the south"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Normandie_Calvados_Livet_tango7174.jpg" caption="Château de Saint-Germain-de-Livet from the entrance"] ::

As its name indicates, the Château de Saint-Germain-de-Livet is situated in the commune of Saint-Germain-de-Livet. It is to be found opposite the village church which dates from the 19th century. The château has been owned by the town of Lisieux since 1958 when it was donated by the Riesener family.

From an architectural point of view the château comprises a half-timbered manor dating from the 15th century and a glazed brick and stone building from the Pré-d'Auge dating from the end of the 16th century.

The chateau combines medieval and Renaissance elements and is surrounded by a moat and a peacock garden.

Lisieux Cathedral

Main article: Lisieux Cathedral

Lisieux Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Pierre) is a rare monument which survived the 1944 allied bombardment. Even though the cathedral has been around since the 6th century, the church of today must have been constructed between 1160 and 1230 by Bishop Arnoul.

From the outset, the architect designed quadripartite rib vaults and flying buttresses, making it one of Normandy's first Gothic buildings. The nave is fairly austere and is inspired by the Gothic style of the Île de France, whereas the most recent parts of the building were constructed in the 18th century (the chevet, the lantern tower and the western façade) in Norman style.

It is wrongly claimed that Henry Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy and future king of England, married Eleanor of Aquitaine at the cathedral in 1152; they married in Poitiers Cathedral. Having been involved in the trial of Joan of Arc, Pierre Cauchon was named as Bishop of Lisieux in 1432 and is buried there.

Town Hall

The town hall (18th century) was formerly a private residence.

Bishop's Garden

French formal garden of the former Bishop's residence, designed by Andre le Notre, recreated in 1837.

Notable people

; Births

; Deaths

Photo gallery

File:Henry Edridge06.jpg|"Street in Lisieux" by Henry Edridge File:Lisieux basilica.jpg|Basilique de Sainte-Thérèse File:Cathedrale_de_Lisieux_vue_du_nord-est.jpg|Lisieux Cathedral

References

References

  1. (13 September 2022). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises.
  2. François Neveux, ''Bayeux et Lisieux, villes épiscopales de Normandie à la fin du Moyen Age'' (Éditions Lys, 1996)
  3. ''Hôtel de ville : Lisieux''. Lisieux : Mairie de Lisieux, 2007, d'après A.-J.L. Dingremont, ''Du corps municipal de Lisieux''. Lisieux, J.J. Pigeon, 1849.
  4. (2022-10-01). "Lisieux : le comité de jumelage célèbre ses dix ans d'existence au parc des expositions".
  5. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/4265429/ensemble.pdf Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2017], [[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques. INSEE]]
  6. {{Cassini-Ehess. 19690. Lisieux
  7. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-14366#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE
  8. Sanctuary of Lisieux, [https://www.therese-de-lisieux.catholique.fr/en/decouvrir-le-sanctuaire/le-carmel/ Carmel], accessed 23 December 2022
  9. [https://www.minube.com/rincon/jardin-de-leveche-a3680252 Jardin de l'évêché] (Spanish), accessed 28 December 2022
  10. Normandy Tourism, [https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/museums-and-heritage-sites/bishops-garden/ Bishop's Garden], accessed 28 December 2022

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

lisieuxcommunes-of-calvados-(department)subprefectures-in-francelexoviigallia-lugdunensis