The Sainte Catherine Church is nothing less than one of the largest wooden churches in France!!
It is unique with its market hall silhouette and its separate bell tower, it proudly sits in the middle of the central square, it is one of the jewels of Honfleur's heritage!
Dating from the second half of the XNUMXth century, the Sainte-Catherine church replaces an old stone church destroyed during the Hundred Years' War. It was built by the inhabitants of the city after the departure of the English. Having few resources, they used, as raw materials, wood from the Touques forest and their knowledge of shipbuilding.
It was built in several “campaigns”. The first dates from 1460 with the construction of the first nave, that of the North. With the demographic growth, a larger church became necessary with the construction, in 1496, of the second nave.
At the beginning of the 1879th century, the interior of the church received a plaster cladding and a neoclassical porch with Greek columns replaced the original porch. Major restoration work was undertaken from 1929, including the removal of the plaster coatings from the nave and the replacement of the Greek porch with the current porch in XNUMX.
Classified as a “Historic Monument” in 1879, it has attracted the attention of many archaeologists and historians: it is the largest church in France built in wood with a separate bell tower.
The bell tower, a robust oak construction, was built on the bell ringer's house. Annex of the Eugène Boudin Museum, it can be visited and presents religious works (sculptures, souvenirs from the Charities and the Notre-Dame de Grâce chapel).
The Faubourg des Marins
The Sainte-Catherine district is a real pleasure to explore... it has retained all its medieval architecture and its small cobbled streets.
The names of its streets promise you a dive into the history of Honfleur: rue de l'Homme de Bois, rue des Lingots, rue des Logettes, rue des Capucins, rue du Puits...
And of course the Rue Haute, which is the lowest in the city... and which offers a row of old shipowners' houses to admire.
Our advice: wander around and get lost in its twists and turns.
There are lots of lovely discoveries to make, old half-timbered houses, designer boutiques, art galleries, and lots of restaurants
The Church of the Seafarers
Saint Catherine is the church of sailors, it is the place of all the ceremonies and blessings of the sea.
Particularly on the occasion of Sailors' Day, every Pentecost weekend.
The Church is, on this occasion, packed with people, people rush to settle in its two naves, magnificently decorated in sailors' colors.
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