Museum sights in Bayeux
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Bayeux Tapestry
Undoubtedly the world's most celebrated embroidery, the misnamed Bayeux Tapestry (it's actually wool thread embroidered onto linen cloth) vividly recounts the story of the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Divided into 58 scenes briefly captioned in almost-readable Latin, the main narrative – told from an unashamedly Norman perspective – fills up the centre of the canvas, while religious allegories and depictions of daily life in the 11th century unfold along the borders. The final showdown at the Battle of Hastings is depicted in truly graphic fashion, complete with severed limbs and decapitated heads (along the bottom of scene 52). Halley's Comet, which blazed across …
reviewed
-
B
Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux
Undoubtedly the world's most celebrated piece of embroidery, the Bayeux Tapestry is housed in the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux . Upstairs there's a short historical film and a full-size reconstruction of the tapestry, but you'll be better off skipping both and heading downstairs to see the real thing. An audioguide is included in the admission price.
The tapestry recounts the story of the Norman conquest of England in 58 remarkable scenes, briefly captioned in Latin, and all told from an unashamedly Norman perspective. Scholars believe that the 70m-long tapestry was commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William's half-brother, to commemorate the opening of Bayeux cat…
reviewed
-
C
Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie
Using well-chosen photos (some in original colour), personal accounts, dioramas and wartime objects, this first-rate museum offers an excellent introduction to WWII in Normandy. Signs are in French and English. A new 25-minute film on the Battle of Normandy is screened in English three to five times a day.
reviewed
-
D
Musée Baron Gérard
The Musée Baron Gérard specialises in local porcelain, lace and 15th- to 19th-century paintings (Italian, Flemish and impressionist). Admission is free if you buy a ticket to the tapestry museum.
reviewed
