ClaudeLustier

In the heart of Normandy

Normandy (France) is not only famous for the D-Day landing on 6 June 1944, its beverages like calvados and cider, the camembert or Pont l'EvÃªque, some of the...
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Normandy (France) is not only famous for the D-Day landing on 6 June 1944, its beverages like calvados and cider, the camembert or Pont l'EvÃªque, some of the cheeses worldwide appreciated. Many villages are so old they turn into authentic time machine. Villedieu-les-PoÃªles is one of them (please donÂ’t forget the hyphens!). Villedieu-les-PoÃªlesÂ… such a name must be obviously French. The city located in the heart of Normandy nearby the Bay of Mont Saint Michel has been founded in the eleventh century by the Knights Hospitaller of Saint-John-of-Jerusalem. The Siena River runs through the village which was famous for craftsmanship, bronze casting process and its 800 years heritage of copper manufacturing. The first houses (see photographs below) date from the mid-11th century.
The inhabitants are called Theopolitains or Sourdins. The word derived from the French Â“sourdÂ” (deaf or hard of hearing) makes reference to an activity fallen into disuse. Villedieu-les- PoÃªles was the city of pewter and copper. In the past craftsmen hammered the pewter and copper to make pans and pots but the noise was so loud, they became deaf. Beside that anecdotal aspect anecdotal aspect, there is the bell foundry which is undoubtedly one of the main tourist attractions in Normandy.
Legacy of traditional and secret methods in craftmanship since the Middle Ages, Cornille Havard, is one of the rare foundry in the world specialized in campanology and still in activity. But today, the Cornille Havard Bell Foundry is the first in the world to make computer models of bell shapes whatever is the bell. Smaller, bigger bells are produced for ships, houses, churches, chimes and cathedrals all over the world. http:--claude-lustier.artistwebsites.com-featured-in-the-heart-of-normandy-planetoday-photography.html
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