Iron gate depicting bell making scene at foundry, Villedieu les Poêles, Manche,Normandy,Cotentin,France
Villedieu-les-Poêles is commune in the Manche department in Normandy. On 1 Jan 2016 it was merged into the new commune of Villedieu-les-Poêles-Rouffigny. It is traditionally a centre of metal-work, especially the brass and copper pans and basins from which the poêles name derives. It is also famous for its artisanal manufacture of large church bells, which was started by immigrants from Lorraine around 1780. Its inhabitants are called Sourdins, sourd meaning deaf. Most of the people involved in the manufacturing of copper pans, which involved repeated hammering, became deaf. Villedieu owes its name to the religious order Knights Hospitaller, which later became the Knights of Malta. Henry I, King of England and Duke of Normandy, granted Villedieu to this order in the 12th century. Low taxes and good administration attracted people to Villedieu. Advanced coppersmithing technology was presumably imported from the Middle East by the Knights. By the early 14th century, the Corporation of the Coppersmiths of Villedieu was officially recognized by the Kings of France. In the years following the French Revolution, in the late 18th century, the people of Villedieu were strong supporters unlike most in the surrounding area. A major reason of their support was that it abolished customs duties between French regions; before the Revolution, copper pans exported from Villedieu to Brittany, 50 km away, faced higher import duties than copper pans from Portugal. After a losing battle with Chouan troops, the men from Villedieu escaped. In 1944, when the Germans withdrew from Villedieu, they left a sniper who shot some of the first US soldiers to enter Villedieu before being neutralized. The US commander was about to request airplane bombing runs when the mayor approached him told him that there were no Germans left in Villedieu and offered to ride through Villedieu in the front seat of a US jeep. Villedieu was thus one of the few towns in the region to escape major destruction
Size: 6300px × 4200px
Location: Villedieu les Poêles, Manche,France
Photo credit: © Daniel Valla FRPS / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: bell, bells, church, cottentin, foundry, large, les, manche, metal-work, normandy, poeles, poêles, villedieu
