Coutances Cathedral

Our next stop was Coutances, further down the coast, and its 13th century cathedral, set on the highest part of the town and visible for miles around.

Beautiful twin towers

Bow view, immense lantern tower at the crossing

There's a noticeable lack of ornamentation on the exterior;
other churches of this vintage would have sculptural decoration
all over the buttresses and towers

There are some nice gargoyles

And some sculpture near the west side

On the west facade, I think this is the Killer Rabbit of
Caerbannog, from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, dispatched,
at length, by Arthur and the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_of_Caerbannog#Holy_
Hand_Grenade_of_Antioch)

Knave view, a beautiful view, great color

Elevation; blind triforium

Thus, including the rose window

Standard 4-part ribbing in the nave

Side aisle

We've seen lot of Judgements at lots of cathedrals, but can not
remember one in glass; but there it is, south transept, 14th
century

Nice Hell, in Technicolor

Includes nobles and prelates, too

Resurrection of the Dead; not so colorful

Crossing, Lantern Tower

In a colorful chapel at the bow, the Circata, late 14th

"Jeez, a whole other half of the church to see!"

Innocent by-sitters

Apse ceiling

Kilroy was most certainly here in 1944, but
probably did not get into the church (later, the
Monuments Men would put up signs saying
that such places were booby-trapped and had
not been cleared of explosives)

In the 14th century apse

Beautiful carving throughout the interior

Sculpture At Parish Church In Barneville Carteret

We spotted another 12th century Romanesque church, passing through Barneville Carteret and stopped for a look.

I guess I forgot to get much of an exterior photo; imagine,
however, a grey stone building, rectangular, thick walls, arches
all over, narrow or slit windows...

The interior was notable for having partitioned
pews, something new to us

The outside sculpture was similar to the rest we have seen
recently in such churches

If a bit tamer

Inside, so much tamer that they even tell Bible stories

Some of them

Some of them

Etc.

Ditto

Barneville is also the place where Gen. Bradley declared the
Cotentin, and Cherbourg, liberated, June18, 1944

Cap De La Hague to Siouville Hage

We returned to the coast to continue a long day of exploration, now on the west side of the Cotentin peninsula, from to Cap de la Hague, through Nez de Jobourg, to an aire at Siouville Hage.

Looking across the Bay of St. Michel to the next peninsula

Looking out toward the Channel Islands

One of them, Aldebaran IV; wait, no, possibly Guernsey or
Jersey

Back toward Cap de la Hague

Another of the Channel Islands

My bold attempt to get all of the Channel Islands in one
panorama; surprisingly, to us, they are much closer to France
than Britland, yet they are British

The nuclear waste processing plant that hovers over the area

Inland, more bocage

And a parapentiste near the Cap

The plage at Siouville Hage; huge, serving a truly one-horse
town; but with a another free aire

And the beach is accessible

Tollevast Funny Farm

We were so disappointed at not getting in to see the Chapelle St-Germain we knew that only seeing more Norman funny faces would cheer us up. So we drove 20 miles cross-country (one lane, holloway roads, construction and agricultural convoys, etc.) to see the 12th century Romanesque parish church at Tollevast. Funny faces inside and outside, in the nave and the chancel. It made things better. I'll just post the pix without comment.

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