upied by the suburb of Vaucelles with the station of the Western
railway. To the south-west of Caen, the Orne is joined by the Odon, arms of
which water the "Prairie," a fine plain on which a well-known race-course
is laid out. Its wide streets, of which the most important is the rue St
Jean, shady boulevards, and public gardens enhance the attraction which the
town derives from an abundance of fine churches and old houses. Hardly any
remains of its once extensive ramparts and towers are now to be seen; but
the castle, founded by William the Conqueror and completed by Henry I., is
still employed as barracks, though in a greatly altered condition. St
Pierre, the most beautiful church in Caen, stands at the northern extremity
of the rue St Jean, in the centre of the town. In the main, its
architecture is Gothic, but the choir and the apsidal chapels, with their
elaborate interior and exterior decoration, are of Renaissance workmanship.
The graceful tower, which rises beside the southern portal to a height of
255 ft., belongs to the early 14th century. The church of St Etienne, or
l'Abbaye-aux-Hommes, in the west of the town, is an important specimen of
Romanesque architecture, dating from about 1070, when it was founded by
William the Conqueror. It is unfortunately hemmed in by other buildings, so
that a comprehensive view of it is not to be obtained. The whole building,
and especially the west facade, which is flanked by two towers with lofty
spires, is characterized by its simplicity. The choir, which is one of the
earliest examples of the Norman Gothic style, dates from the early 13th
century. In 1562 the Protestants did great damage to the building, which
was skilfully restored in the early 17th century. A marble slab marks the
former resting-place of William the Conqueror. The abbey-buildings were
rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries, and now shelter the lycee. Matilda,
wife of the Conqueror, was the foundress of the church of La Trinite or
l'Abbaye-aux-Dames, which is of the same date as St Etienne. Two square
unfinished towers flank the western entrance, and another rises above the
transept. Queen Matilda is interred in the choir, and a fine crypt beneath
it contains the remains of former abbesses. The buildings of the nunnery,
reconstructed in the early 18th century, now serve as a hospital. Other
interesting old churches are those of St Sauveur, St Michel de Vaucelles,
St Jean, St Gilles, Notre-Dame de la Gloriette