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Origin and history

Saint Martin's church in Auxais, built in 1055, is a Roman Catholic building today in ruins. Located in the commune of Auxais, in the department of Manche in Normandy, it was nicknamed the "Cathedral des Rozs". Its history is marked by partial destruction during the Allied bombings of 24 June 1944, aimed at preventing its use as a watchtower by the German army. The attack also destroyed the cemetery, a nearby farm and the castle with its chapel, causing one civilian victim and several injured.

After the war, the city council decided to build a new church in the centre of the village, dedicated to Notre-Dame, thus abandoning the term Saint-Martin. The remains of the old church, including the two-span choir and part of the cross tower, bear witness to its initial construction in the 13th century, with subsequent changes, notably in the 18th and 19th centuries. The stone pillars of Caen, added in 1878, and the replacement of the stubble cover with slate in 1853 illustrate these transformations.

Unlike other buildings damaged during the 1944 fighting, the ruins of Saint Martin's church were not razed. They were listed as historical monuments on 11 July 1973, thus preserving a major architectural and historical heritage. The remains retain decorative elements, such as warhead caps, recalling its medieval past and subsequent transformations.

Today, the ruins of Saint-Martin Church, located on the road to Saint-André-de-Bohon before the village of Auxais, remain a poignant testimony to local history, mixing religious heritage, modern conflicts and heritage preservation. Their present state allows us to appreciate both the past grandeur of the building and the traces of the events that marked its decline.

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