Abbaye de Graville

Romanesque abbey church high above the city, predating Le Havre's founding by five centuries

The Abbaye de Graville is a Romanesque church and former Benedictine convent on the plateau above the city, predating the founding of Le Havre by nearly five centuries. The church dates from the 11th and 12th centuries and is one of the best-preserved Romanesque buildings in Upper Normandy. The nave and choir are particularly fine, with heavy round arches and thick piers that create a sense of great solidity.

The associated museum houses an exceptional collection of medieval carved capitals and tombstones salvaged from the abbey and other Norman churches. The site is well above the city and somewhat off the tourist trail — which makes it all the more rewarding. The views from the abbey grounds extend across the industrial port and the Seine estuary.

Address: Rue de l'Abbaye, 76620 Le Havre. Closed Tuesdays.

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A story
The Abbaye de Graville was founded around 1050, nearly five centuries before Le Havre existed. During the Hundred Years' War it was looted by the English; during the French Revolution it was suppressed and the buildings sold off. The church survived and was eventually handed back to the city. The cloisters, reconstructed in the 19th century from original stonework, contain one of the finest collections of medieval carved capitals in Normandy.