crossing of Abbaye aux Hommes, Caen
Dedicated to St Etienne (St Stephen), the Abbaye aux Hommes - the Men's Abbey - in Caen, Normandy, France was built in the 11th century in the Romanesque style. The ribbed vaulting, seen here in the crossing beneath the central tower, dates to 1120 and was the first time such a technique had been used in France.
The Abbaye aux Hommes, together with its sister church, the Abbaye aux Dames (Ladies' Abbey), were built on the orders of William the Conqueror and his wife Matilda in order to convince the Pope to rescind their excommunication (a result of theirs being a marriage between distant cousins).
crossing of Abbaye aux Hommes, Caen
Dedicated to St Etienne (St Stephen), the Abbaye aux Hommes - the Men's Abbey - in Caen, Normandy, France was built in the 11th century in the Romanesque style. The ribbed vaulting, seen here in the crossing beneath the central tower, dates to 1120 and was the first time such a technique had been used in France.
The Abbaye aux Hommes, together with its sister church, the Abbaye aux Dames (Ladies' Abbey), were built on the orders of William the Conqueror and his wife Matilda in order to convince the Pope to rescind their excommunication (a result of theirs being a marriage between distant cousins).