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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Ouen de Caen found its origins in the 11th century, when the relics of Saint Ouen de Rouen were translated to Rots around 1070. A charter of 1077 mentions his patronage entrusted to the abbey to the Men, although it is then only a chapel branch. It was only in 1494 that the parish of Saint-Ouen officially appeared in the archives of the diocese of Bayeux, as the most modest of the Kenyan parishes.

In the 18th century, the parish was merged with that of Saint-Étienne in 1791, losing its parish status before regaining it in 1803 thanks to a petition from the inhabitants of Villers. The church, built on marshy soils, suffers from recurring structural problems: cracks and collapses of the structure led to its closure to the public in December 2022. It once housed the Brotherhood of Tanners and its cemetery, closed in 1884 for smallness.

On the architectural level, the church is distinguished by its 17th century retables, classified as historical monuments. Although its inscription as a historic monument dates back to 1928, its current fragility illustrates the challenges of preserving medieval buildings in urban areas. His history also reflects the parish and social evolutions of Caen, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era.

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