Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
You'll probably see artists sitting at easels around the harbor, as Boudin and Monet
did. Many consider Honfleur the birthplace of 19th-century Impressionism. This was a
time when people began to revere, not fear, the out-of-doors, and started to climb moun-
tains “because they were there.” Pretty towns like Honfleur and the nearby coast made
perfect subjects to paint—and still are—thanks to what locals called the “unusual lumin-
osity” of the region. And with the advent of trains in the late 1800s, artists could travel to
the best light like never before. Artists would set up easels along the harbor to catch the
light playing on the line of buildings, slates, timbers, geraniums, clouds, and reflections in
the water. Monet came here to visit the artist Boudin, a hometown boy, and the battle cry
of the Impressionists—“Out of the studio and into the light!”—was born.
If you're an early riser, you can watch what's left of Honfleur's fishing fleet prepare
for the day, and you just might experience that famous luminosity.
The unusual wood-shingled exterior suggests that this church has a different story to tell
than most. Walk inside. You'd swear that if it were turned over, it would float—the legacy
of a community of sailors and fishermen, with plenty of boat-builders and no cathedral ar-
chitects. When workers put up the first nave in 1466, it soon became apparent that more
spacewasneeded—sothesecondwasbuiltin1497.Becauseitfelttoomuchlikeamarket
hall, they added side aisles. Notice the oak pillars, some full-length and others supported
by stone bases. Trees come in different sizes, yet each pillar had to be the same thickness.
In the last months of World War II, a bomb fell through the roof—but didn't explode. The
pipe organ behind you is popular for concerts, and half of the modern pews are designed
to flip so that you can face the music. Take a close look at the many medieval instruments
carved into the railing below the organ—a 16th-century combo band in wood.
The church's bell tower is just as odd, because it was built not adjacent to the church
but across the square. That's so it wouldn't overburden the wooden church's roof, and to
helpminimizefirehazards.Historiansconsiderthestructureugly—Ikindoflikeit.Notice
thefunkyshingledbeamsthatrunfromitssquatbasetosupporttheskinnytower,andfind
the small, faded wooden sculpture of St. Catherine over the door. Peek inside to appreci-
ate the ancient wood framing. The tiny museum, with a few church artifacts and a useful
15-minute video (in English) describes the tower's history.
Cost and Hours:
Church—free, daily July-Aug 9:00-18:30, Sept-June 9:00-17:15;
museum—not worth the entry fee but free with ticket to the Eugène Boudin Museum,
April-SeptWed-Mon10:00-12:00&14:00-18:00;Oct-MarchWed-Mon14:00-18:00only,
closed Tue year-round.
