Abbaye aux Hommes
Abbaye aux Hommes
4.5
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 7:00 PM
About
The Men's Abbey : A masterpiece of medieval art and 18th century. William the Conqueror Born in Falaise in 1027, William was the son of Robert the Magnificent, the future Duke of Normandy, and Herleva, a tanner’s daughter. Upon his father’s death, William became the designated sole heir to the ducal throne. His succession to the throne was challenged by the barons, who considered William to be Robert’s illegitimate son. William quashed the rebels once and for all in 1047 and became the undisputed Duke of Normandy. Towards 1050, William married his distant cousin Matilda of Flanders, despite opposition from Pope Leo IX. The Church forbade their marriage, so Matilda and William sought atonement by founding the Abbayeaux- Dames, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and the Abbaye-aux-Hommes, dedicated to Saint-Étienne. Work began on the Abbaye-aux-Hommes in 1066, the year that marked the Norman conquest of England. Edward, the King of England, had named William, the Duke of Normandy, to be his successor. Upon Edward’s death and betrayed by Harold, Edward’s brother-in-law, William took up arms to assert his claim to the throne. William defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings on 14th October 1066. William was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey on 25th December 1066, whereupon he became William «the Conqueror». On 9th September 1087, he died in Rouen. According to his wishes, he was buried in the Abbey Church of Saint-Étienne in Caen. Abbey Church of Saint-Étienne Consecrated in 1077, the abbey church represents the oldest part of the site, with most of the features dating back to the 11th and 13th Centuries. The choir was redesigned in the 13th Century to reflect the prevailing Gothic style and is home to the tomb of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and King of England. Monastic buildings The monastery was erected in the 11th Century, but destroyed during the First War of Religion (1562-63), before being rebuilt in the 18th Century. The monastic buildings are built around a Tuscan-style cloister epitomising the classical Italian style. The buildings are today headquarters of Caen City Hall. Together with the recently refurbished Place Saint- Sauveur, the Abbaye-aux-Hommes represents a unique heritage site. Medieval buildings and agricultural buildings The abbey also used to be a farm and an inn. It still houses a cider press, a carriage house and a bakery. Two 14th Century buildings bear witness to the abbey’s former role as a place of refuge and a political venue. - Palais Ducal, which was restored between 2012 and 2013, now hosts the city’s art library and its collection of contemporary art. - The Guardroom, where City Council meetings take place
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
892 reviews
Excellent
435
Very good
319
Average
113
Poor
16
Terrible
9
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Joachim H
Bruhl, Germany12 contributions
Jul 2022
Huge church building with cloister. Outside view is impressive. You can enter the church, the cloister costs extra. Whether you want to invest the 5 € depends on your interest in such buildings. I think there are more interesting cloisters.
Written August 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vero V
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Family
Thank you very much to the young man who visited us because the poor with only 3 large rooms allowed to visit he knew how to captivate us with his stories on the history of Normandy and guillaume. No visits to monks' cells transformed into administrative offices etc... on the other hand message for the town hall it would be nice to put available a box poir leave tips for the person who makes the visits which would be normal. Nois preferred the visit of the abbey to the ladies entirely visiting.
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Written August 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
T S
18 contributions
Sep 2024 • Couples
If you just want to visit the tomb of William the Conqueror it is possible to walk around the back of the abbey and get access to St Etienne church for free. As others have described, it is not much to write home about since his tomb was raided during the 16th century. The church itself is an inspiring building and, on the right hand interior wall, the description of its role during the battle of Caen in 1944 was very moving.
Written September 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
toomanybeds
ME349 contributions
May 2023
A simply astonishing, ancient church with magnificent architecture and an atmosphere of absolute calm. Try and attend an organ recital - it has the finest sounding organ I’ve ever heard. Oh, and it has the tomb of William The Conqueror.
Written May 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
D L
Canada, KY2 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
We toured Caen memorial a little bit longer than expected. The scheduled closing hour is 7PM, @642 PM, the receptionist is ok to let us in for 8 mins as a quick tour, but the guards insisted the door was already locked. It is terrible for the kids as we travelled from Canada to here and could not take a look of this exceptional heritage site. Terrible experience on the hospitality of the local people.
Written June 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PierreBriere
Saint-Joachim, France9,681 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
Admission = 4 €. The abbey was founded (1066) by William II, Duke of Normandy and winner of the Battle of Hastings (England), having just married his cousin Mathilde of Flanders (union rejected by Pope Leo IX). Adjacent to the church of Saint-Etienne where Guillaume is buried, the conventual buildings (pillaged and ransacked during the wars of religion) were rebuilt in the 18th century and housed the town hall since 1965 (after having been a high school since 1804). Do not miss the cloister (18th century), the chapter room (light oak woodwork), the staircase and its wrought iron ramp, and the refectory.
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Written July 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vagabondafelice
Carisolo, Italy197 contributions
Oct 2021 • Friends
The Abbey is impressive from the outside but quite stark inside. There were only guided tours in French available at the time we were there so we read up about the abbey ourselves and of course visited the tomb of William the Conqueror. You do not have to pay an entrance fee if you just visit the Abbey.
Written October 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
johnnyenglander
Horsens, Denmark19 contributions
Jul 2023 • Friends
Varme with expectations, this being the burial site of one of the most important figures of the 900s, who conquered England and ended the age of the Vikings. However, King William the Bastard lies under a modest recently made slab of marble, with a simple inscription. Only got 5 minutes in the abbey before a jobsworth of an usher shooed us out becsuse a service was starting. Despite the great expectations, the experience was an anticlimax.
Written July 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kevin C
Bekkjarvik, Norway15 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
I am sorry to say that my experience was marred by a lack of respect being shown to William's tomb. While it was uplifting to see that the tomb was still in a good condition and in the setting before the High Altar no one had been in the fenced off area for quite some time. As a result the place gave off an air of quiet desperation. A jolly good clean and the use of some polish would help lift the atmosphere.
Written May 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EllenChr
Oslo, Norway2,603 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
The building is amazing on the outside. The church can be accessed without tickets. It fairly simpel except for the fact that is houses William the Conqueror’s grave. The rest of the old abbey is no part of the town hall. You can visite some of the area for 4 Euro.
Written October 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Will there be English speaking tours on Friday, September 13, 2024?
Thanks in advance!
Written July 9, 2024
church 9.30am-1pm & 2-7pm Mon-Sat, 2-6.30pm Sun, cloister 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-1pm & 2pm-5.30pm Sat & most Sun
Written July 7, 2017
bonjour, je voudrais savoir le prix de l´entré avec guide et sans guide
Written June 24, 2015
Prix d'entrée 7€ comme indiqué par Zorguette, visite complète ( bâtiments conventuels + abbatiale St Etienne), laquelle est obligatoirement guidée et dure environ 1h30.
L'accès à l'abbatiale St Etienne seule (tombeau de Guillaume le Conquérant) est libre et gratuit, bien entendu, puisqu'il s'agit d'un édifice religieux.
Written July 1, 2015
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