Montivilliers
Montivilliers is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.Geography
A large light industrial and farming town by the banks of the river Lézarde in the Pays de Caux, situated just north of Le Havre, at the junction of the D489, D52, D926 and D31 roads.History
Pre-Roman archaeological discoveries include Bronze Age axes and jade jewelry. The old Roman road from here to Harfleur was destroyed by the English in 1415.
The Abbey Church of Notre-Dame, sometimes referred to as the Montivilliers Abbey dates back to 684, although it was destroyed by a Viking raid in 850, and rebuilt as a church in both the Romanesque and Gothic styles.Heraldry
Population
Places of interest
- The nineteenth-century chateau de Colmoulins.
- The church of St. Germain, dating from the fourteenth century.
- The abbey church of Notre-Dame, dating from the eleventh century.
- The abbey museum
- A Protestant church
- The medieval ramparts.
- The Arboretum du parc de Rouelles is an arboretum set within the Parc de Rouelles.
People
- Isaac de Larrey, French historian was born in Montvilliers
- René Bihel, French footballer was born here in 1916.
- Arthur Good, French engineer, science educator, author, and caricaturist who wrote under the pen-name "Tom Tit".
- Sébastien Lepape, short track speed skater, born here in 1991.
- Lys Mousset, professional footballer
- Jean Prévost, writer, lived here when his father was principal of a local school.
Twin towns
- Nordhorn, Germany since 1963.