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Avranches (Municipality, Manche, France)

Flag of Avranches - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 4 November 2002

Presentation of Avranches
Flag of Avranches

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Presentation of Avranches

The municipality of Avranches (8,090 inhabitants in 2009; 450 ha), is located close to the mouth of river Sée, on the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.

Avranches was named after the local Gaul tribe of Abricantes, mentioned for instance by Pliny the Elder. The bishopric of Abrincensis was founded in the 6th century. The St. Gervais church was listed in a deed by the Merovingian King Dagobert (637).
In 708, Bishop St. Aubert (biography) started the building of the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel. According to Le roman en vers de la conquête de la Bretagne, the castle of Avranches was built by Charlemagne, but there is no historical evidence of that fact.
In 867, the Viscounty of Avranches was annexed by Solomon, Duke of Brittany. In 936, Duke Alan Barbetorte transfered the Viscounty to William Long-Sword, Duke of Normandy. Hugh "Lupus" (the Wolf, or, more probably, the Fat) (1050-1101), Viscount of Avranches and Count of Chester (England), was one of William the Conqueror's brother-in-arms.

During the Normand ducal period, the Romanic cathedral and the episcopal palace were famous centers of teaching. The Italian theologians Lanfranco of Pavia and Anselmo of Aosta, later appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, taught in Avranches. In 1172, King of England Henry II Plantagenet made amends to the Pope's legates in front of the cathedral in order to expiate for the infamous murder of Thomas Becket. The last Viscount of Avranches, Ranulf III, died in 1236 without male descendants, and King of France St. Louis acquired the town. King Charles V eventually incorporated Avranches to the Kingdom of France in 1378.

In the 16th century, Avranches supported the ultra-Catholic League and refused to acknowledge Henri IV as the King of France. The royal troops led by Duke of Montpensier seized the town in 1590. In 1639, Duke of Richelieu imposed the gabelle (salt tax) to the area of Avranches. In the neighbouring Brittany, Duchess Ann had suppressed the gabelle in the 16th century, which caused smuggling in the border areas. The Nu-Pieds (Barefoot), led by Jean Quétil, revolted in Avranches and were eventually slaughtered by the royal troops in 1639. Even during these troubled times, the fame of Avranches did not decrease. Bishop Daniel Huet (1630-1725) was considered as one of the most educated men of his times. During the French Revolution, Avranches was fiercely disputed between the Chouans (Royalists) and the Blues (Republicans). In 1794, the Bishopric was suppressed and the cathedral collapsed. St. Aubert's relics were dispersed, and only his head was preserved in the St. Gervais Church.

In the 19th century, Avranches increased in size and population. Avranches had "its" Napoleonian hero, Roger Valhubert, who died during the Battle of Austerlitz (1802).

During the Second World War, Avranches was bombed by the American Air Force in June 1944. The legendary Operation Cobra, led by General Patton, resulted in the Avranches Breakout and the liberation of the town on 31 July 1944. Avranches was then used as the starting point for the liberation of Brittany and the rest of North-West Europe.

The great wealth of Avranches is an extensive collection of ancient manuscripts and books, kept in the former episcopal palace. More than 200 manuscripts from the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel (8th-15th centuries) and 14,000 books (16th-19th centuries) miraculously escaped destruction during the Second World War. The rest of the Mont-Saint-Michel collection disappeared during theSaint-Lô bombing.

Source: Municipal website

Ivan Sache, 4 November 2002

Flag of Avranches

The flag of Avranches is red with the municipal coat of arms placed in the middle of the flag and surmounted with the name of the town written in white Capital letters.

The coat of arms of Avranches is "Azure, a town gate beneath two crescents and a dolphine reversed all argent".

Pascal Vagnat, 4 November 2002