France Regions

Discover Bayeux, France


A short history of the charming town of Bayeux

Bayeux, a quaint town in Normandy, France, is situated near the English Channel in the Calvados region. Nestled along the Aure River, it is approximately 16 miles west-northwest of Caen and about 166 miles northwest of Paris. This charming town is renowned for the medieval tapestry that carries its name and showcases its historical significance.

We offer a very popular overnight trip from Paris to Bayeux and the D-Day beaches.

A stream in the center of the town of Bayeux in Normandy, France.
A stream in the center of the town of Bayeux in Normandy, France.

The town was first known as Baiocasses to the Gauls and Augustodurum to the Romans. The Romans later recast the town as a city named Civitas Baiocassium.

In the 4th century Bayeux became headquarters for an early Roman Catholic bishop.  In 880, Rollo, the Viking, captured the town.  The town later became a Norman stronghold.  In 1106, Henry I of England pillaged the town.  During the Hundred Years’ War, from 1337 to 1453, and during the Wars of Religion, from 1562 to 1598, the town was besieged and taken numerous times by various forces. 

The German army occupied the town in 1940.  The Allies took the town on D-Day plus one, June 7, 1944.  It was the first town liberated in France, and it was the first to greet General de Gaulle on his return to France on June 14, 1944. 

Although the town is only a short distance from the D-Day invasion beaches, it was spared bombardment during the invasion.  Today, it is a charming sleepy, small town with cobblestone streets lined with small shops and Norman style timbered houses dating from the 17th century.

Bayeux’s 13th through 19th century Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame is in the town’s center.  It has 11th century Romanesque towers, a groin-vaulted crypt, which is decorated with 15th century frescos.  The City Hall, Hotel-de-Ville, was once the catholic Bishop’s Palace.  A museum and the law courts are now housed there. 

The Bayeux Tapestry Museum

The Musee de la Reine Mathilde houses the renowned Bayeux Tapestry, a remarkable large-scale embroidery that chronicles the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Often considered the world’s most famous embroidery, the “Tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde” is exceptional both for its historical significance and its artistic merit. The tapestry provides an invaluable insight into the 11th-century arms, attire, customs, and vessels employed by the Normans, under the leadership of William the Conqueror, leading up to the invasion of England.

An image of two figures talking to one another as displayed in the Bayeux Tapestry.
An image of two figures talking to one another as displayed in the Bayeux Tapestry.

The Tapestry stretches 231 feet long and is 19.5 inches wide.  It was made of a seamless strip of linen, embroidered with eight colors of woolen thread.  It is a needlework panorama of 72 individual scenes, and 1512 figures, with identifying Latin inscriptions, of the Norman Conquest.  It tells the story of Harold’s failure to honor the oath he gave at Bayeux recognizing his cousin William’s right to succeed Edward the Confessor and the consequences that followed.  The borders are decorated with animals and scenes taken from fables.  It was probably made in England soon after the conquest of Normandy, but we don’t know for sure.  It wasn’t displayed in public until about 1476, when it decorated the nave of the Bayeux Cathedral.

In 2007 it was labeled as a UNESCO “Memory of the World”.

The cathedral in Bayeux, France.
The cathedral in Bayeux, France.

Some believe that the tapestry was the work of William the Conqueror’s wife Matilda of Flanders.  However, her involvement with the Tapestry is currently in doubt.  Others believe that it was commissioned by Odo, the bishop of Bayeux and a half brother of William the Conqueror.  Odo is depicted in some of the later scenes.  The work is dated no later than 1092.

Across from the cemetery is the Musee Memorial de la Bataille de Normandie.  The museum houses the story of the Battle of Normandy that took place between June 6 and August 22, 1944.

Local products include dairy foods, lace, plastics and exquisite pottery.

We highly recommend a visit to Bayeux.