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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Gonneville Manor House is a 15th-century mansion in Blainville-sur-Mer, Manche department, Normandy. Transformed into a farm, this building preserves a chapel dedicated to the Virgin and Saint Philibert, patron of the sailors, whose origin dates back to 1050 but which was rebuilt in the 14th century. A solemn Mass was celebrated there for the Newfoundlanders, these fishermen going to the banks of Newfoundland.

The manor structure consists of a body of square houses, with a polygonal turret housing a staircase. After the Second World War, Herman Menke and Geneviève de Saint-Pern, veterans of the Liberation, restored the mansion with respect for traditions. The chapel, known as the "Chaille des Marins", houses notable ex-votos, including an 18th-century painting and two models of 19th-century ships.

The facades and roofs of the chapel were listed as historical monuments by order of 5 April 2005. The mansion, a private property, bears witness to local maritime history and Norman seigneurial architecture. Its votive heritage reflects the devotion of sailors and their connection to the religious community.

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