Ever heard of Gatteville-le-Phare?

We are at the north-eastern tip of the Cotentin peninsula, in the Val de Saire. The jagged granite coastline forms numerous small harbours that provide shelter for boats. But it is also rich in reefs feared by sailors the world over. This is what is now known as the Raz de Barfleur, already renowned for its dangerous tidal currents under the name Raz de Catte in 1120. The nights are illuminated by an exceptional lighthouse, the second highest in Europe. The lighthouse was built by the architect and civil engineer Charles-Félix Morice de la Rue during the reign of Charles X, between 1829 and 1835. It replaced a first lighthouse built in 1774-1775.

The village is perched on a granite outcrop and its squares are lined with remarkable houses, the Church of Saint Peter where two bell towers stand side by side, one Romanesque and the other from the 16th century, and the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours built in the 11th century.
Numerous manor houses adorn the villages of Denneville, Imbranville and Rauville,
So much for the natural and built heritage….

These places have long attracted people. Archaeological digs have uncovered flint knobs, Neolithic tools and the remains of several Merovingian cemeteries.
More recently, the Lords of Gatteville have been involved in various crusades. The Sire de Gouberville, famous for his diary describing daily life in the 16th century, managed the Gattemare pond.

A strip of dunes separates the sea from the Gattemare pond, where coots and wild ducks nest. It has been owned by the Conservatoire du Littoral since 1983. It is part of the Natura 2000 site ‘Reefs and backshore marshes from Cap Lévi to Pointe de Saire’.

The area’s history is also marked by tragic shipwrecks, in particular that of the Blanche-Nef, which broke up on the Quilleboeuf rock in 1120, killing the children of Henry I Beauclerc and a large number of the Norman nobility, as well as the sinking of the Luna, an American three-masted ship which broke up on the same Quilleboeuf rock on 27 February 1860, killing more than 100 people.
And we can’t forget the construction in 1942 of the German STP 152 battery with 4 155mm guns, whose casemates are still visible.
So much for a brief historical overview….

So, with all that, how can we fail to appreciate the beauty of Gatteville-le-Phare and its heritage?
That’s why the residents of Gatteville-le-Phare, who love their local heritage, decided to take action to protect and enhance all the treasures they see every day.

And so the Gatteville Héritages association was born!