Fécamp

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Palais de la Bénédictine

Abbey church, Fécamp

Fécamp is a commune of the Seine-Maritime département, Upper Normandy in France.

1 Geography
2 History
- 2.1 Abbey
- 2.2 Births
3 External links

[edit] Geography

Fécamp is located on the coastline of the Pays de Caux area, 40 km north of Le Havre.

[edit] History

[edit] Abbey

The Benedictine abbey of the Holy Trinity at Fécamp was critical in the Norman conquest of England. To thank his Norman protectors from during his exile, Edward the Confessor granted it his royal minster church in Steyning, with its large and wealthy manor lands and thriving port, to take effect after the death of Aelfwine, the Bishop of Winchester, who had charge of Steyning. The bishop died in 1047 and ecclesiastical jurisdiction then passed directly to the Pope. (In the same way, Fécamp Abbey itself answered to no Norman bishop but only to the Pope.) This was confirmed in a charter by William the Conqueror:

Confirming the gift, made by Edward the Confessor, of Steyning [co. Sussex]. This charter acquitted the grantees of all earthly service and subjection to barons, princes, and others, and gave them all royal liberties, custom, and justice over all matters arising in their land; and threatened any who should infringe these liberties with an amercement of £100 of gold.^[1]

A nearby port with land around Rye, Winchelsea and Hastings had already been given to the same Abbey by King Cnut, to honour a promise made by his wife Emma of Normandy's first husband King Aethelred. The monks had hardly had time to settle in when in 1052 Godwin, Earl of Wessex expelled them from Steyning and seized it for himself. His son Harold decided to keep it upon his accession, rather than restore it to them. This made commercial and strategic (Harold did not want a Norman toehold on a potential invasion port) sense, but William responded by swearing on a knife before setting out for England to recover it for the monks:

Of the land of Steyning [county of Sussex]; the Duke gave seisin to the Church by the token of a knife, before he went to England; the grant to take effect if God should give him victory in England.

Witnesses: Aymeri the vicomte; Richard fitzGilbert; Pons.^[2]

This gained him a ship from the Abbey and, upon his victory at Hastings, he honoured his promise and returned it to the Abbey, with whom it remained until the 15th century. They translated the remains of the local saint, Cuthman of Steyning, to the mother abbey at Fecamp.

The abbey also provided William with Remigius de Fécamp, the first Bishop of Lincoln.

The abbey was also the first producer of the Benedictine herbal liqueur, based on brandy.