Avranches

Avranches stands on a hill above the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, commanding the routes between Normandy and Brittany. Its cathedral of Saint Andrew and the bishop's residence made the town an ecclesiastical centre, while its position near the coast gave it military importance. In April 1450 Francis I, Duke of Brittany, led forces allied to the French king against the English occupation of Avranches, part of the final campaign that recovered Normandy for France.

The French Revolution transformed the town's religious life. The bishopric was suppressed in 1790, and the old cathedral suffered neglect and damage in the years that followed. Its loss changed the appearance of a hilltop town whose church had for centuries looked out across the bay toward Mont Saint-Michel.