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Alençon (UK: / æ ˈ l ɒ̃ s ɒ̃ /, [3] US: / ˌ æ l ɒ̃ ˈ s oʊ n /, [4] French: [alɑ̃sɔ̃] ⓘ; Norman: Alençoun) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. [5] It is situated 173 kilometres (107 mi) west of Paris. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alençon (with 52,000 people).
Jun 9, 2021 · Alençon. The town of Alençon in the south of Normandy is particularly proud of its unique lace-making traditions, listed by UNESCO as ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ and celebrated at the local fine arts museum, and its many extraordinary women.
- Museum of Fine Arts and Lace
- Notre-Dame Basilica
- Maison Natale de Sainte Thérèse
- Maison D’Ozé
- Château Des Ducs
- Parc Des Promenades
- Corn Exchange
- Maison à L’Étal
- Véloscénie
- Forêt D’Écouves
For a thorough account of the techniques and history of Alençon’s lace industry look no further than this first-rate museum in a restored Jesuit college. There are plenty of examples of lace to see from this town, but also pieces from other lace-making capitals like Chantilly and Le Puy. At the start you can see a video that delves into the backgro...
Alençon’s main place of worship was elevated from a church to a basilica in 2009 and dates from 1356, when the first stone was laid. Most of the building is in the flamboyant Gothic style, and the nave has some marvellous stained glass windows from 1530. After a fire the bell-tower and choir had to be rebuilt in the 1700s and it’s intriguing to see...
Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin was a Discalced Carmelite nun who died aged just 24 in 1897 and was canonised less than 30 years later. She has become the patron saint of all kinds of things, from the Gardens of the Vatican City to France, Russia and people suffering from HIV or AIDS. And to this day she remains a cherished figure for many members o...
Opening onto Place de la Magdelaine next to the basilica, the Maison d’Ozé is a turreted Gothic and Renaissance mansion built for the town’s alderman in the 1450s. You’re free to have a look around as this is the home of Alençon’s tourist office. In the 16th century the Duke of Alençon Charles de Valois lived here with Marguerite de Navarre, and ho...
Ambling around Alençon’s old centre you might be caught off guard by the hulking presence of a gatehouse on Rue de la Chaussée. This is almost all that remains of a once muscular castle that was founded in the 1100s and updated over the next 300 years. That gatehouse is five storeys high, separated from the street by a moat and has two chunky crene...
Just behind the Château des Ducs, the Parc des Promenades is a former patch of the Forêt d’Écouves where the dukes and royalty would go hunting. In the late-18th century it became a large public park, and the first elm tree was planted to great fanfare in 1784. Even by French standards the Parc des Promenades is a well-appointed and soothing green ...
A striking building in the centre of the town, the Corn Exchange (La Halle au Blé), has a circular plan and is crowned with a glass roof. The body of the building was finished in 1819 and that glass dome wasn’t added until 1865. When it was completed the metal and glass dome was dubbed the “crinoline of Alençon”, crinoline being the cage that used ...
At no. 10 Rue-Porte-de-la-Barre the Maison à l’Étal (Stall House), is a quaint 15th-century home with some neat idiosyncrasies. The most obvious of these is the granite bench or stall (hence the name) under the ground floor window. This is a could be a vestige from when the building was a shop, as most customers preferred to do business in the dayl...
Since 2012 Alençon has been absorbed by a vast cross-country cycle network, which links the Notre-Dame in Paris with Mont-Saint-Michel on a 434-kilometre route. With the Accueil Vélo brand you’re guaranteed high-quality bike services and cycle-friendly accommodation. So in theory you could ride all the way through the Perche Hills and the Eure Vall...
If you’re in need of wide-open countryside the Forêt d’Écouves, frequented by Alençon’s royalty for sport, begins a couple of kilometres north of the town. This forest comes under the Normandie-Maine Regional Park and ripples with peaks from the sandstone Amorican Massif. Deeper into the beech, oak and pine woods you’ll realise why they were so pop...
Alençon is an important town located in the Orne department, towards the south of the Normandy region and north of Le Mans. The surrounding region is known as the Pays d'Alencon which is part of the Natural Regional Parc of Normandy-Maine.
The town of Alençon, once the seat of the Dukes of Normandy and today the capital of the Orne, has been famous for its unique lace pattern since the 17th century. It also boasts a rich architectural and cultural heritage.
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Explore the city of Alençon and visit the main landmarks in the life of the Martin family: the family home, which recreates the atmosphere and authenticity of life at the time, the Basilica of Notre Dame where Saint Thérèse was baptised, and the famous Alençon point lace, listed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage.
Sep 25, 2018 · Things to Do in Alencon, France: See Tripadvisor's 9,258 traveler reviews and photos of Alencon tourist attractions. Find what to do today, this weekend, or in October. We have reviews of the best places to see in Alencon.
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