The region of Quillebeuf-sur-Seine

Nestling in the last-but-one meander of the Seine, 14 small towns and villages have come together to invite visitors to stimulate their senses. They are easy to spot, because their names are so evocative of the region and of their local identity, between Seine and the Marsh. Any person who one day takes a stroll along the footpaths of the Marais Vernier, in the heart of the Boucles de la Seine Normande Regional Nature Park, will keep these memories with him for many years…the multitude of fragrances, colours, protected bird species. Discover an area given over to the preservation of nature and to increasing awareness among the public of its wealth and beauty, where the inhabitants welcome you with open arms to share their “savoir-faire” and their “savoir-vivre”. The identity of this region owes a great deal to the river. The towns and villages here have enjoyed a particularly prosperous history thanks to the Seine. The region is also reknowned for its architecture, its innumerable beautiful thatched cottages, its churches and abbeys. While enjoying a break between two sightseeing trips, the local speciality, the Rever apple, will delight even the most demanding palates. And of course, it must not be forgotten that the region has inspired a whole host of artists, painters and writers down the years. The village of Quillebeuf was an important port on the Seine whose abbey of Jumièges derived revenues from it. The village is mentioned in texts from before 942 and the church, rebuilt in the 12th century by the monks of Jumièges, probably succeeded a pre-Romanesque edifice. The church has a nave with five bays and side aisles, opening onto a choir with ambulatory, dominated by a square tower with two floors and stair turret. The only notable modifications to the 12th century church are the choir (16th century) and the side aisles (1786). The most characteristic Romanesque period parts remain the façade and central tower.
The very wide façade is strengthened by two buttresses. The gable bonding above the west door is marked by motifs in lozenge or star form. The door is of a particular type where the vaulting does not descend to the small columns but right down to the ground with side walls and an uninterrupted decoration in geometrical motifs.The lantern tower has a lower level decorated by fully vaulted arches resting on twin columns, a motif repeated on the upper level with larger arches opening onto geminate openings.