By charter dated 1113, Henri 1er Beauclerc (Duke of Normandy and
King of England) authorizes the Benetictine monks from St Evroult-en-Ouche
to erect an abbey under the cover of Guillaume de Tancarville.
This
church of romanesque style was thence erected between 1113 and 1140.
the local chalky limestone used is said to be "de Caumont".
The conception adopted by the Normans to
have widely lit naves was obtained by high
large windows.
The church follows the Benedictine cruciform design and faces east, with bold transept both containing a tribune, which is classical in Normandy, as is frequent the lantern-tower erected above the transept crossing (ogival arches resting on abbots heads).
The
choir is rather small, sufficient to shelter thirty monks or so
which ranked the Abbey.The semi-circular apse is covered by a quarter
of sphere supported by early 12th century archaic arches. Technical
progress to be noted on the vertical elevation where the charges
of the construction rest on pillars detached from the wall and thus
hollowing out, in the thickness of the wall, a false alley-way (Triforium)
on the second level and on the third level a real gallery of circulation
for the monks, resulting in a great elegance and an economy of stone.
