Cretteville: Church Art, Memorial Sites and Marshes

Cretteville is shaped by several layers of its local history: Notre-Dame Church, religious monuments, World War II memorial sites and two marshes give the town distinct points of interest. This offers a clear guide for planning your trip, spanning architectural and church history, the more recent past and the landscape.

Notre-Dame: Church and Religious Monuments

Notre-Dame Church originally dates back to the 13th century. However, most of the building’s surviving elements today date from the 15th century, as does the portal through which visitors enter the church. The building’s history is therefore older than much of its visible structure. Its furnishings include a gilded and painted wooden rood screen from the 17th century and the crucifix mounted on it. Both are classified as Monuments Historiques. In terms of their dates, the medieval building elements and portal are thus distinct from the works of art from the 17th century.

Other religious sites offer different points of interest. A small wooden statue is venerated under the name Notre-Dame de Cretteville. Notre-Dame des Champs is located in a niche in the wall of the presbytery in the town centre. The Oratoire de la Vierge des Marais, dating from the 15th century, lies 300 metres from the town centre, at a crossroads on the road through the Marais de Fos. Together, these religious sites range from the church to a venerated image of the Virgin Mary, a niche and an oratory in the landscape.

Memorial Sites and the Timeline of Airfield A-14

The history of the Second World War is also rooted in Cretteville. Advanced Landing Ground A-14 became operational on 4 July 1944. The 358th Fighter Group was stationed there until 14 August 1944. A later deployment at the airfield is recorded for the 406th Fighter Group, from 17 August until early September 1944. Both periods therefore belong to the same phase of the war, but should be distinguished as separate deployments by the respective groups.

The “Plaque 358th Fighter Group” commemorates the group’s operations from Advanced Landing Ground A-14 beginning on 4 July 1944 and is located on Rue de Francquetot. The “Plaque 406th Fighter Group” is on the same street. Visitors interested in the memorial sites can thus connect the units and periods mentioned with the two plaques in Cretteville, without conflating the different accounts of their history.

Two Marshes, Two Waterways

The landscape includes the Marais de Fos and the Marais de Franquetot. The Marais de Fos covers 68 hectares and is fed by the Douve. The Marais de Franquetot covers 51 hectares and is bordered by the Senelle. The areas differ in size by 17 hectares; the different names of the waterways also help distinguish the two landscapes. The Oratoire de la Vierge des Marais lies on the road through the Marais de Fos, creating a tangible link between a small religious monument and this landscape.

More Traces of Local History

Cretteville’s history extends beyond its churches and wartime past. The former Château de Franquetot, a fief of the Dukes of Coigny, stood in Cretteville until 1840. Archaeological finds reveal an even more distant past: significant foundations of Roman buildings were discovered on the grounds of the former La Pierre farm, near the Roman road from Portbail to Saint-Côme-du-Mont. Together with the church, Marian sites and memorial plaques, these traces paint a varied picture of local history, linking different periods and themes.

Discover more destinations: Cherbourg-Octeville, Gouberville, Agneaux, Montanel, Ducey, Gourbesville, Morigny, Saint-Hilaire-Petitville.

For the broader travel overview: Manche.