Saint-André-sur-Orne

Saint-André-sur-Orne
A general view of Saint-André-sur-Orne
Location of Saint-André-sur-Orne
Saint-André-sur-Orne
Saint-André-sur-Orne
Coordinates: 49°07′09″N 0°22′55″W / 49.1192°N 0.3819°W / 49.1192; -0.3819
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentCalvados
ArrondissementCaen
CantonCaen-5
IntercommunalityCU Caen la Mer
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Christian Delbruel[1]
Area
1
3.68 km2 (1.42 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[2]
1,727
 • Density469/km2 (1,220/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
14556 /14320
Elevation3–53 m (9.8–173.9 ft)
(avg. 30 m or 98 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Saint-André-sur-Orne (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃.t‿ɑ̃dʁe syʁ ɔʁn] , literally Saint-André on Orne; named Saint-André-de-Fontenay until 1911) is a village in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.

Geography

The commune is made up of the following collection of villages and hamlets, Étavaux and Saint-André-sur-Orne.[3]

The River Orne flows through the commune.[4]


History

The village's history is closely linked to the Saint Stephen abbey "Abbaye Saint-Étienne-de-Fontenay" founded on his land of Fontenay by Raoul Tesson around 1047 under the patronage of Duke William of Normandy (before he became King of England following his victory in Hastings in 1066) and which survived until the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century.[5] Most of the abbey was destroyed at the beginning of the 19th century, but there still remains a 13th-century building along the Orne river, and the abbot's more "modern" house rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century.[6]

The village witnessed the expulsion of many schoolchildren from the "Maison du Clos" by the Nazi army during World War II, but the marching children were then rescued by Allied soldiers.[7] The village was finally liberated in July 1944 by Canadian soldiers, many of whom died in this fierce battle, hence the street names of "Royal Black Watch" (the Montreal-based regiment) and the village's main street "Rue des Canadiens".[8] Their bodies are buried in the Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery in the nearby village of Cintheaux.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 1,044—    
1975 1,156+1.47%
1982 1,242+1.03%
1990 1,310+0.67%
1999 1,606+2.29%
2009 1,937+1.89%
2014 1,793−1.53%
2020 1,814+0.19%
Source: INSEE[9]

Points of Interest

National heritage sites

The commune has three sites listed as a Monument historique.[10]

  • Église Saint André - a thirteenth centaury church registered as a monument in 1937.[11]
  • Chapelle Saint Orthaire d'Etavaux - a twelfth centaury church registered as a monument in 1927.[12]
  • Ancienne abbaye Saint-Etienne-de-Fontenay - Former twelfth centaury Abbey which was registered as a monument in 1945.[13]


Twin towns – sister cities

Saint-André-sur-Orne is twinned with:[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Saint-André-sur-Orne · France". Saint-André-sur-Orne · France.
  4. ^ Sandre. "Fiche cours d'eau - L'Orne (I2--0200)".
  5. ^ "Ancienne abbaye Saint-Etienne de Fontenay - SAINT-ANDRE-SUR-ORNE".
  6. ^ "Abbaye Saint-Étienne de Fontenay | Musée du Patrimoine de France". museedupatrimoine.fr.
  7. ^ Nancy Amis, The Orphans of Normandy, Anthenium Books, New York and London (2003)
  8. ^ "The Normandy Campaign : Juno Beach Centre". www.junobeach.org.
  9. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  10. ^ "Les Monuments Historiques en Calvados - 14 - Monumentum". monumentum.fr.
  11. ^ "Eglise à Saint-André-sur-Orne - PA00111656". Monumentum.
  12. ^ "Eglise d'Etavaux, dite aussi chapelle Saint-Orthaire à Saint-André-sur-Orne - PA00111657". Monumentum.
  13. ^ "Ancienne abbaye Saint-Etienne-de-Fontenay à Saint-André-sur-Orne - PA00111655". Monumentum.
  14. ^ "Saint-André-sur-Orne. 25 ans de jumelage avec Stockstadt am Main". Ouest-France (in French). 7 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2025.