Kirche St. Stephen

St. Stephen's in Caen was built as a church belonging to the Abbey of Saint-Étienne. Its construction lasted from the 11th to the 13th century. It is one of the most representative examples of Romanesque architecture in Europe, and since 1840 it has the status of a historical monument.

From the outside, attention is drawn to the tall, rather austere façade, dominated by the westwork, also referred to as the "Norman harmonic façade." The main body of the temple is framed by two twin towers, 80 and 82 m high and topped with soaring, octagonal spiers.

The interior of the church of St. Stephen's Cathedral is divided into three aisles, and the main one is 56 meters long. In its center for many years stood the tombstone of William the Conqueror, the founder of the abbey and the church, but in 1802 it was replaced with a commemorative plaque, which can still be seen today.