A Church with a Remarkable Slope

The Church of Sainte-Croix was built in the 12th century and altered several times. Its interior has a floor slope of 9 percent, which places the high altar at the same level as the organ. This feature is unique in Normandy. The combination of medieval origins, several alterations and the unusual floor slope gives the building more than one point of reference in time.

Roman Road and Half-Timbered Houses

Rue de Pont-Audemer also follows a former Roman road that linked Juliobona (Lillebonne) with Noviomagus (Lisieux). Numerous old half-timbered houses stand along this road, preserving the character of the Pays d’Auge. Two different aspects come together here: the connection to the historical place names and a regional style of architecture. The street thus provides an architectural and historical point of reference for exploring Cormeilles.

The presbytery, built in 1762, was renovated to become the Maison des Artisans, which hosts exhibitions. Here, the building’s former function meets its later use as the Maison des Artisans; the exhibitions also make it a cultural attraction in its own right in Cormeilles. Unlike the church, the focus here is not on the year it was built or its sloping floor, but on the building’s transformation and its exhibitions.

Landscape and Marked Hiking Trails

The landscape of Cormeilles includes the River La Calonne, the hills and the Bois de la Vigne. This adds a landscape perspective to the historic buildings and streets: the watercourse, the terrain and the Bois de la Vigne provide distinct points of reference alongside the cultural themes. When planning your trip, you can therefore distinguish between local history and the landscape as separate areas of interest.

Three marked hiking trails offer clearly different distances: the Circuit découverte de Cormeilles is 1.6 km long, the Chemin de la vallée au Lièvre is 6.4 km, and the Chemin du Douet Tourtelle is 12.8 km. The Circuit découverte is the shortest of the three; the Chemin de la vallée au Lièvre is four times as long, and the Chemin du Douet Tourtelle is twice as long as that trail. This makes it possible to compare the marked routes by length without treating the different trails as equivalent.

Audio Guide and Puzzle Rally

The Circuit audioguidé de Cormeilles takes you through the town’s history, architecture and anecdotes over approximately 1.5 hours. Unlike the three hiking trails, whose distances are given, the focus here is on an approximate time span. This offers another way to plan your visit: you can consider the hiking trails’ distances on the one hand and the audio guide’s duration on the other.

The rally “Cormeilles a besoin de toi!” has its own storyline: participants solve several puzzles to free the village and restore the Bonhomme Cormeilles to his role as its protector. This adds a game objective driven by a story to the architectural and historical themes. The puzzles and the character of the Bonhomme Cormeilles give the activity a different focus from the audio guide, which explores the town’s history, architecture and anecdotes.

Discover more destinations: Bosguérard-de-Marcouville, Bourgtheroulde-Infreville, Beuzeville, Montaure, Breuilpont, La Vieille-Lyre, Bourneville, Bazincourt-Sur-Epte.

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