Normandy: priory church in St-Côme-du-Mont village

The priory and church of Saint-Côme-et-Saint-Damien - the Saints Cosmos and Damian - was built in the early 12th century. Its mother house was Cluny, and its purpose was to provide a hostelry for its monks (Benedictines) on their way to Cluny's daughter houses in Britain.

At the time of the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, Cluny had 35 daughter houses in England.

The Romanesque windows of the apse reflect the great quality of buildings created by the affluent and all-powerful Benedictine order. The church is 40 metres long.

In 1388 the church, which then had a straw roof, was damaged by fire. The Gothic southern nave, to the left, was probably added during the early 15th century.

The Gothic church spire (15th century) was based on that of the church of nearby Carentan. It has twice had to be rebuilt: in 1830, after being damaged by lightening; and once more, after being struck by an artillery shell on 8th June 1844, during the Normandy campaign.