The morning excursion choices from Vernon were either to Claude Monet’s home, studio and gardens in Giverny or to the town of Vernon and Bizy Castle. Since I had previously visited Giverny, I chose Vernon and the castle.
We were now in Normandy. While there were various ancestors in other parts of France, the largest number of all were from Normandy – 173. These were from all over Normandy, including such places as Bayeux (3), Caen (3), Falaise (6), Longueville (5), Montfort Sur Risle (10), and Rouen (8). They were all born roughly between the 8th and 12th centuries. Many of them would end up relocating to England, Scotland and Wales after 1066.
All total, with 14 born in Paris and several for whom the only info I have is that they were born in France, I end up with roughly 459 French ancestors. That is more than anyplace else other than the UK. They are all on my paternal grandmother’s side of the family.
Many civilizations had existed in what is now Normandy prior to the Viking invasions of the mid-9th century. But those invasions and the subsequent treaty between Viking leader, Hrólfr Ragnvaldsson, or Rollo (also known as Robert of Normandy) with King Charles the Simple of the West Franks in 911 forever changed that portion of France. The name “Normandy” reflects the Normans (or Norsemen) who conquered the area.
The Normans adopted the French language and Christianity. They also intermarried with the Franks, Celts and Romans who were already there.
William the Conqueror was a descendant of Rollo. He became King of England after defeating the Anglo Saxon King Harold Godwinson in battle in 1066. William’s invasion and conquering of England was the subject of the Bayeux Tapestry (which I will talk about more in the post on my visit to Bayeux during this river cruise).
Vernon was a tiny village that was founded by Rollo in the 10th century. Once we left the ship, we immediately encountered the site of a Gallo-Roman coffin, which had contained a wealthy woman, dating from the 2nd century. The sarcophagus was discovered in 1964.
It was a short walk to the Notre Dame Collegiate Church. Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, the altar and transept were Romanesque while the rest of the building included three different Gothic styles. I especially liked a very old statue of Mary & the Baby Jesus.
The oldest surviving houses in the village were in the streets surrounding the church and the village square. These half-timbered houses dated mainly from the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Archive Tower, which was the keep of Philip Augustus’ former castle, was built in 1123 by Henry Beauclerc (King Henry I of England), the youngest son of William the Conqueror. It was in 1196 when King Philip II (Philip Augustus) of France took over the castle at Vernon and rebuilt most of it. The tower was the only part that remains of either version of the castle. It has been used to house the municipal archives since the 18th century.
The current owner of Bizy Castle was descended from a brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, therefore the chateau has letters, paintings and sculptures related to the Bonaparte family on exhibit. The building was originally built in 1675 and then reconstructed in 1740. It fell on some hard times and ended up being entirely rebuilt in the mid-19th century. But the Versailles-inspired stables remained. I was able to have a really good look at the stables as the restrooms were located in a portion of them.
We entered from the orangery which is usually used as a greenhouse or conservatory for plants that needed protection from the winter weather. The one at Bizy was a very large room decorated with the heads of boar and various other wildlife killed on the castle grounds when it was being used as a hunting lodge.
In the courtyard was a lovely pool. Turned out that it was created for the use of the horses to cool themselves off. Of all of the castles around Europe and the UK that I have visited, I have never seen one before that actually had a swimming pool for horses.
The Grand Salon was a very elegant room with an exquisitely painted and lacquered piano. Only a few rooms were open to the public with a guided tour as the current owner still lived in the chateau. The rooms that were open were quite beautiful.
On the opposite side of the Seine was an old, half-timbered mill, straddling two of the remaining piers of an ancient bridge. The original bridge was built in the 12th century. By 1947, the mill was crumbling when the village of Vernon took on its restoration. It was considered to be a symbol of Vernon.
Next time – Crepes, Pastries & Les Andelys
