CAEN
. The medieval city of Caen (Calvados) gained importance in the 11th century owing to
the favor of William the Conqueror, who established his base there for the governance of
lower Normandy. Around the middle of the century, the duke built a castle and enclosed
the town with walls, and shortly afterward he and his wife, Matilda, founded two
monasteries at Caen. A short distance from the sea and situated where the Orne and the
Odon rivers join, Caen enjoyed a flourishing trade, and the conquest of England in 1066
contributed to its prosperity. The excellent limestone of the area was for centuries one of
Caen’s chief exports; it was even transported to England to rebuild the cathedral of
Canterbury and palace of Westminster. Through the 12th century, Caen remained the
military and administrative center of lower Normandy, and the supreme court of justice
and finances, the Échiquier de Normandie, was held there.
Caen’s administrative importance declined after the conquest of Normandy in 1204 by
the French king Philip II Augustus, but the town continued to prosper: cloth
manufacturing became an especially important industry. The 13th and 14th centuries saw
the flowering of High Gothic and Flamboyant Gothic architecture, best represented in
Caen by the church of Saint-Pierre. During the
Caen (Calvados), plan of Saint-
Étienne. After Conant.
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