Around Cagny and Frénouville

Parking is available in the car park behind Cagny Church (Route de Démouville – D228).

(S/E) Facing the church, cross the car park to the left, walk between the church and the town hall, then continue to the next street. Cross at the pedestrian crossing, turn left and follow Rue de la Poste to the end of the street. On the way, take a short detour to the Sainte-Radegonde fountain (small gate on the left), pass a farm as you round the bend to the right and walk alongside the cemetery at the end of the street.
Note the small chapel at the corner of the cemetery walls.

(1) Turn left and, taking great care, walk along the left-hand side of the Route de Troarn (D225) (if you’re in a group, make sure you stay in single file). Follow the road for about 800 metres, pass under the high-voltage power lines and reach a junction near the bridge crossing over the A813 motorway slip road.

(2) Take the path on the left, pass the memorial to the Guards Division, then, following the A813 motorway slip road, follow the path for about 600 m until you reach a crossroads. Turn left after crossing the Cagny stream (note the bridge passing under the A813 motorway slip road) and follow it for about a hundred metres to the Pont Levain and the hedgerows nearby.

(3) Turn right, walk alongside the hedge and continue for about 300 m until you reach a left-hand bend. Navigate the bend, pass under the high-voltage power line at the foot of the pylon, then walk for about 700 m until you reach a road.

(4) Take care when crossing the Route de Démouville (D228), continue straight ahead along Rue de l’Étoile and carry on to the next road. Please note that on this street, you will pass the Cagny flax cooperative.

(5) Take the utmost care when crossing the Route de Paris (D613), continue straight ahead along the Chemin de la Maisonnette and walk straight on for about 2 km until you reach the houses in the hamlet of Four. Take and follow the Chemin du Mesnil to the crossroads. Turn right to reach the pedestrian crossing.

(6) Cross Rue du Poirier (D225) with care, turn left and then cross Rue de la Chapelle. Continue towards Frénouville, follow Rue du Poirier along the right-hand pavement and carry on until you reach Rue Bertin on the right. Cross Rue Bertin, veer to the right and take the path running between the farm shed (on the left) and the hedge (on the right). Walk for about 700 m, past a standard power line. At the crossroads, turn left between the hedges and, a little further on, pass under the high-voltage power line. Continue to the chapel and the Poirier cemetery at the end of Rue Federmeyer.

(7) Cross the junction and Rue Fred Scamaroni (D225) with care, keep to the right and turn into Rue Léonard Gille. Follow the street, take the underpass and cross the railway line.

(8) Take the left-hand pavement of Rue de la Gare and follow it for about 600 metres until you reach the edge of the Route de Paris (D613). Turn left into Allée Saint-Jacques and walk a few metres to the pedestrian crossing.

(9) Turn right, cross Allée Saint-Jacques, then – taking great care – cross the Route de Paris (D613) and finally Allée Saint-Germain. Turn left, follow this lane and cross Rue de la Poste towards the church. Walk between the town hall and the church, then head for the car park (S/E).

The Sainte-Radegonde Fountain
In the past, this spring was known throughout the region for its therapeutic properties in treating skin conditions; its water was also used to treat eye infections. During the fountain’s restoration in 1998, the manufacturer’s enamelled plaque was discovered: “DUMAS, stonemason and rock carver, Rue Écuyère, Caen”, which enabled its construction to be dated. It was erected between 1826 and 1868 by Casimir Edmond Costé, Marquis of Triquerville and mayor of Cagny from 1851 to 1866. Within the reconstruction of a grotto made of artificial rocks stands the statue of Saint Radegonde, carved from Caen stone in 1998 by the Caen-based sculptor Roland Moulin. At her feet, three shelf-like ledges provide space for flowers, candles and offerings. Almost at ground level, on the right, inscribed on the wall, are the opening lines of a poem:
“In these times darkened by the ashes of the past
What is this ray plunging into the deep water
Drawing in, captivating all these weary people
It is your royal sceptre, Saint Radegund
O Queen, O Saint, O Mother, protector of the suffering
Angel of the fatherland...’
The rest is broken. It was signed by a lady, perhaps the lady of Cagny or one of her relatives.
On two occasions since its creation, the fountain has escaped destruction. Whilst it survived the disaster of the air raids of 18 July 1944, which were intended to obliterate the heart of Cagny, it still bears the scars of that event in the chips on its walls. When the terrible storm of 26 December 1999 toppled large trees, some sixty years old, as if they were straws, the fountain and the statue of the saint were once again spared, as if by a miracle.

Operation Goodwood
On 18 July 1944, the most massive attack yet launched by the British since the start of operations began. The launch area for Operation Goodwood was the Ranville region. The axis ran west of Cagny, towards Bourguébus. Between 5 and 7 o’clock in the morning, 2,000 aircraft dropped 8,000 tonnes of bombs. Cagny alone took 650 tonnes of bombs – that is, one tonne of bombs per 300^m²! The damage was considerable. Numerous German vehicles were put out of action. The psychological impact was enormous. The battle would involve around a thousand tanks. By 10.30 am, the tanks of^{the 2nd} Fife and Forfar Yeomanry of the^11th Armoured Division had advanced as far as the Caen–Paris railway line without any particular incident. At that moment, the^3rd Squadron, which was behind them between Cagny and Le Mesnil Frémentel, was decimated by a German 88 mm battery firing from Cagny. Twelve tanks were destroyed in a matter of seconds. The advance was halted. It was not until 4.00 pm that the village of Cagny fell into the hands of the men of the British Guards Division. The front then stabilised between Cagny and Frénouville. Along the line of attack, following fierce fighting at Hubert-Folie and Bourguébus in particular, the tanks of the^7th British Armoured Division did not reach the Bourguébus ridge until the following evening. Casualties totalled 4,000 killed or wounded. The number of British tanks put out of action was considerable (400, of which 250 were a total loss). A very comprehensive tourist information panel can be viewed in the centre of Cagny. During the battle, an intrepid Irish Guard, realising that his tank’s gun was jammed, drove his Sherman at full speed into the German Tiger facing him, thereby putting it out of action. A monument dedicated to him stands on the D 225.

The hamlet of Le Poirier
The hamlet of Le Poirier was incorporated into the commune of Frénouville in 1927.

The Chapel of Le Poirier
Rebuilt in a ‘modern’ style, the Chapel of Notre-Dame du Poirier was founded around 1160. It was restored in 1781, as evidenced by two stones set into the top of the interior walls on either side, bearing the inscription: ‘This stone marks the division between the nave and the chancel, 1781.’ An acoustic system was installed during this restoration. It comprised two sound pipes embedded in the walls, on either side of the nave and facing each other. A crucifix carved from pear wood also remains. Above the entrance, a small belfry houses a bell cast in 1902.

A Site of the Resistance
During 1944, from Saturday 10 June onwards, the chapel served as the headquarters of the F.F.I. (French Forces of the Interior) headquarters, which is why Commander Gille, in accordance with his wishes, was buried in the cemetery on 26 January 1971. He commanded the Fred Scamaroni Company, named after the prefect who had been involved in the Resistance since 1940 and who had taken his own life in prison rather than reveal anything to his Italian torturers. The main street in Le Poirier now bears his name.

The Villa des Emalés
Around 1960, the schoolteacher Bernard Martin discovered the baths of a Gallo-Roman villa in the meadow situated to the west of the path leading from Le Poirier to La Hogue. It was a fairly luxurious villa with decorated interior walls and rooms heated by a hypocaust. It was probably burnt down during the invasions of the 3rd century, rebuilt on a smaller scale, and finally destroyed in the 5th or 6th century during the barbarian invasions.

The Cagny sugar factory
On Wednesday 31 March 2021, Saint-Louis Sucre announced the permanent closure of the Cagny sugar refinery site, near Caen.
The sugar factory had been based in Cagny since 1951. Between the end of September and the end of December, it extracted an average of 1,250 tonnes of top-quality sugar per day from the 10,000 tonnes of beet supplied to it from the departments of Orne, Eure and Calvados by around 1,500 growers. Part of the syrup was stored to be processed during a one-month ‘mini-campaign’ in the spring. Around 100 permanent staff worked there, along with approximately 75 seasonal workers. 80 per cent of the production was destined for the Nassandres factory (Eure), which packages the sugar in tins for the retail trade. The remainder was supplied to local food manufacturers.

45 km of pipes
The sugar factory recovered the water contained in the beetroot and used it in the production process for washing and transporting the beetroot within the factory. This meant that the groundwater table was not drawn upon. During the sugar-making season, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 4,000 m³ of muddy water was pumped daily to the surrounding fields via a network of 45 km of pipes. To ensure a flow rate of 100 m³/h over a distance of up to 9 km, an initial pressure of 20 bar was required. At a rate of 150 g per litre of water, the irrigation sprinklers thus returned to the soil the silt, fertilisers (potash, nitrogen, lime, etc.), as well as the unwanted seeds brought to the sugar factory with the beetroot.

Saint-Germain Church
In the early 12th century, Saint-Germain was the mother church of the five churches situated within the territory of Cagny. At the start of the Hundred Years’ War, in the second half of the 14th century, Aimart Bourgoise, Viscount of Caen, shared his wealth with the village. It is to him that we owe the tower and chancel of Saint-Germain de Cagny, the listed part of the church that we still see today. Partially destroyed in July 1944, the church was restored and a new nave built in 1960. Beneath the cornice, a single corbel with a grimacing face remains of those that once seemed to mock passers-by. They are accompanied by chimeras with human heads. Two dogs at the corners of the chancel gable guard the sanctuary. The sundial was made in 1692, probably on the initiative of Suzanne de Monginot, Lady of Cagny, who wished in this way to mark the return of the Mesnage family to the Roman Catholic Church after a century and a half of membership of the Reformed Church. It was restored in 1994. The following inscription is engraved on its upper band: “ASTRA REGUNT HOMINES SED DEUS ASTRA REGIT” (“The stars rule men, but God rules the stars”). As the Earth rotates irregularly on its axis, a correction curve has been added. In addition to the clock’s small bell, which strikes the hours, the belfry houses two larger bells dating from 1818. They are named after the ladies of the family of the lord of the manor, Louis Mesnage. The largest, Antoinette, weighs 340 kg. The other, Pauline, weighs 190 kg. The heads of the statues of Saint Germain and Saint Radegonde, which flanked the altar at the beginning of^{the 20th} century, are now on display at the chancel end of the new nave.

The Calvary
A granite Calvary had been erected in 1899 at the eastern edge of the village. Only its plinth survived the bombings of July 1944. Owing to the war damage, the parish council had a wooden Calvary erected behind the chevet of the church in 1960. As this Calvary had deteriorated over time, it was replaced in 2004 by a new one, created on a voluntary basis by Antoine Lagarigue, a sculptor who was then employed at the sugar factory.