GRANVILLE – UPPER TOWN – Marquis Paris

The Upper Town of Granville closes the immense bay of Mont-Saint-Michel to the North and administers the nearby islands of Chausey.

The city is nicknamed the “Monaco of the North”, due to its location on the rocky peninsula of Cap Lihou and its links with members of the Grimaldi family – who were governors of the city for more than 200 years.

The fortifications of the Upper Town, which date from 1440, are originally English and aim to isolate Mont-Saint-Michel which is then the last bridgehead in Norman territory. However, French troops take the town in 1442 and from this date, Granville will never cease to be French in a Norman region which remains English.

In 1492, the Jews of Spain, expelled by the decree of the Alhambra, arrive in Granville which does not admit any foreigners within the walls of the Upper Town but which nevertheless authorizes them to settle in the street which runs along the fortified enclosure – today it is the Jews street. The city benefits from this presence, since their right to trade and lend money allows Granville to arm a large fleet.

Under the reign of King Louis XIV, Granville becomes a corsair city: Granville ships have the right to practice “la course”. In fact, more than seventy ships are armed at Granville, equipped with letters from the French sovereign which authorize them to attack and seize any ship of an opposing nation.

In November 1793, the Upper Town is besieged by the royalists Chouans who want to cross over to England. Granville, who is a Republican city, refuses to welcome them, who decide to attack the city. To repel them, the Granville residents take the risk of setting fire to the Jews street, which put an end to the siege – and the Upper Town temporarily takes the name of Granville-the-Victory.

In 1870, the creation of the Paris-Granville railway line marks the destiny of the city which becomes a popular seaside resort, with a racecourse and a golf course and frequented by artists.

The Main Gate

The church of Notre-Dame du Cap Lihou. It took more than three centuries to complete it. The first traces of this church date from the English era, around 1440. The last architectural elements date from 1770

One of the military barracks

Private mansions, built by shipowners dot the Upper Town. the city knew periods of war and peace with the enemy and the sailors of Granville had a tough life. At each departure, women and children were never sure of seeing the men of the family again, which is why before each fishing trip, Carnival was properly celebrated, a tradition still perpetuated today

We owe to the English the creation of the Trench, a vast furrow dug into the rock to make Granville impregnable to attackers when the tide rises. Granville became an island twice a day at each high tide