Audrieu

Audrieu
The Seulles river near Pont Roch The Seulles river near Pont Roch
Audrieu
Location within Lower Normandy region Audrieu
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Calvados
Arrondissement	Caen
Canton	Tilly-sur-Seulles
Intercommunality	Val de Seulles
Government
• Mayor (2008–2020)	Jean-Louis Lebouteiller
Area1	11.31 km2 (4.37 sq mi)
Population (2010)2	1,042
• Density	92/km2 (240/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	14026 / 14250
Elevation	37–105 m (121–344 ft) (avg. 45 m or 148 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

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Audrieu is a French commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region of north-western France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Aldériens or Aldériennes.

Geography

Audrieu is located some 11 km south-east of Bayeux and 16 km west by north-west of Caen. Access to the commune is by the D82 road from Ducy-Sainte-Marguerite in the north which passes south through the centre of the commune and the village and continues to Tilly-sur-Seulles in the south. The D187 branches off the D82 in the north of the commune and goes west to Chouain. The D178 branches off the D82 south of the village and goes west to Juaye-Mondaye. The D158 branches off the D82 in the north of the commune and goes north to Loucelles. The D94 branches of the D82 in the village and goes east to Brouay. The railway from Bayeux to Caen passes through the north of the commune with a station at Le Haut des Jardins. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of Lieu Moussard, Hervieu, Le Haut-des-Jardins, Le Bas-d'Audrieu, Le Calvaire, Ferme de la Motte, Hameau Pavie, and Le Pont Roch. The commune is farmland with residential areas mostly along the D82.

The Seulles river forms the western border of the commune as it flows north to join the ocean at Courseulles-sur-Mer.

History

Audrieu village dates back to Classical Antiquity when it was called Alderium. There are traces of Gallo-Roman dwellings and a Motte-and-bailey castle. The first lord of the area was Percy, cook for William the Conqueror, who gave it to the descendants of the Duke of Northumberland. In 1593 Audrieu returned to Guillaume de Seran, who married Marguerite de Percy, and whose lordship became a barony in 1615.

File:The British Army in Normandy 1944 B5439.jpg

British soldiers in Audrieu on 13 June 1944

After being sold in the French Revolution the chateau returned to the Séran family at the Restoration and is still in the hands of their descendants. During the Second World War Gerhard Bremer, commandant of the 12th Reconnaissance Battalion of the German army established his headquarters in the chateau. On 8 June 1944, in clearings, forests, and orchards surrounding the castle, 24 members of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division were executed: 22 from the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and two from the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada. Two British soldiers were killed at the same time. The castle now houses a luxury hotel and restaurant.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

From	To	Name	Party	Position
1912		Saillard du Boisberthe
1916	1944	Henri Naguet de Saint-Vulfran
1945	1960	Philippe Livry-Level	RPF
1961	1969	Leseigneur
1971		Jean Poi Leguern
1995	2020	Jean-Louis Lebouteiller	PS	Liberal Nurse

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2010 the commune had 1,042 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.

Population Change (See database)

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851
529	772	920	835	794	824	761	741	749

1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896
753	740	680	664	680	685	653	654	668

1901	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
631	637	601	439	456	503	512	536	545

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2010	-
520	539	485	676	868	839	826	1,042	-

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)

File:Population - Municipality code 14026.svg

Population of Audrieu

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

File:FranceNormandieAudrieuChateau.jpg

The Chateau

File:Motte Audrieu.JPG

Remains of the Motte-and-bailey castle

The commune has two buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments:

• The Chateau of Audrieu (18th century). The Chateau is composed of a main building with two projecting pavilions and a centre topped by a triangular pediment. The Chateau of La Motte is older with the Saint-Louis chapel dating from the 13th century.
• The Chateau grounds (18th century)

Other sites of interest are:

• The Tailleboscq Mill on the Seulles river which was converted to a Dairy in 1926.
• The Audrieu Railway Station or Le Haut des Jardins Station is far to the north of the village and is served by the Mantes-la-Jolie to Cherbourg line.
• The remains of the Motte-and-bailey castle

Religious heritage

File:FranceNormandieAudrieuEgliseClocher.jpg

The bell tower of the church

File:Église Notre-Dame d'Audrieu portail.JPG

The entrance to the church

The commune has one religious buildings that is registered as a historical monument:

• The Church of Notre-Dame d'Audrieu (12th century). The Church was founded by Trinity Abbey, Vendôme, who owned a nearby priory-priest. The church depended additionally on the Baron of Audrieu (possibly by retrocession of the priory of Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Chesnaye to whom this right belonged in the 14th century).

The Church contains three items that are registered as historical objects:

• A Painting: The Rosary (17th century)
• A Statue: Saint John the Bapotist (14th century)
• A Statue: Virgin and Child (16th century)

Notable people linked to the commune

• Jacques Berthault, called Bertaux (1733-1799), General in the Army of the Republic, born in Audrieu.
• Philippe Livry-Level, Grand-croix of the Legion of Honour, Companion of the Order of Liberation, Mayor of Audrieu (1945-1960).
• Monique Livry-Level, daughter of Philippe Livry-Level, resistance fighter, Commandeur of the Legion of Honour, Médaille militaire, Croix de guerre 1939-1945, and the King's Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom.

See also

• Communes of the Calvados department

External links

• Audrieu on Google Maps
• Audrieu on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (French)
• Audrieu on the 1750 Cassini Map
• Audrieu on the INSEE website (French)
• INSEE (French)