What Bayeux is famous for

One of our trips from Caen was a drive to Bayeux, a town famous for the tapestry of Bayeux. For a long time I thought that this was a carpet, lying around somewhere. When I realized that it was actually telling a story, I assumed it had been hanging in a castle for every visitor to see. But I still wondered how you can tell a story with a hanging tapestry. There’s a lot more to this tapestry than I knew and the visit to the museum was one of my highlights of this Normandy trip.

The famous tapestry of Bayeux tells the story of the battle of Hastings as seen from the Norman perspective. If you get a chance to visit Hastings, I urge you to go. But back to the tapestry. Fake news or alternative facts have started already way earlier than we all think. History is always written by the victors and the carpet displayed the reasoning of the Normans for the invasion of England. It was manufactured in the 11th century, a couple of years after the successful coup. If you think that William the Conqueror had any succession rights to the throne, you are wrong. He saw an opportunity and seized it. It’s always about land and money!

Napoleon exhibited the tapestry 1804 in the Louvre with the same ulterior motive. Only he was still in the planning phase of an invasion of England and the carpet made for good story telling of such a successful deed. As we all know his plans didn’t turn out as fruitful.

We arrived early at the museum in Bayeux to avoid the crowds, but the way the exhibition was organized there shouldn’t be a problem anyway. Still, I loved it that there were only a couple of people with us in the room. The original carpet is 70 meters long and viewing it feels like walking along an assembly line. With the help of an audio guide the story is told continuously. The moment you enter the dark room, the guide starts speaking and never stops until you reach the end of the carpet.

tapestry museum @Bayeux

The carpet has 58 story scenes and numbers on top within the tapestry show the progress. Each number tells a different part of the story. Basically Harold II. was depicted as oath breaker and that William had every right to conquer England, while in reality William seized a chance and disposed of a crowned king. His claim to the throne was nonsense and probably everyone knew it. But of course the killing of an anointed king needed to be justified and the tapestry provided such a possibility. Since most people at that time couldn’t read, the story had to be shown. To maximize the audience the tapestry went up on display in the cathedral of Bayeux. The half-brother of William, Bishop Odo of Bayeux, left nothing to chance. The carpet really is the perfect example on how to write your own story.

the moment Harold dies from an arrow to his eye @Tapestry museum of Bayeux

Nonetheless the tapestry was magnificent to see and it clearly wasn’t done by Queen Mathilda, the wife of William, as was passed on. The size alone made that impossible in my opinion. Odo had it probably ordered and gotten done by a monastery in England, as his new lands were in Kent. Pictures of the original tapestry were not allowed, even without flash. Quite understandable since it is almost 1000 years old. An amazingly long time for a garment and it was still in great enough condition to follow the story. Nonetheless it needs to be renovated and the museum will be closed from September 2025 to October 2027.

But do not fear there is more to see in Bayeux, although much of the town is focused on the tapestry. The shops advertise the needlework technique even though the carpet comes from England.

embroidery shop @Bayeux

The Cathedral of Bayeux is a magnificent building and takes its prideful place in the heart of the town. A mix of Gothic and Romanesque style it’s a sight to behold. Especially when the sky is blue like during our visit. Consecrated in 1077 it celebrates its 950th birthday quite soon.

the cathedral @Bayeux

inside @Cathedral of Bayeux

There are many details inside that I was glad to notice. This was really a very interesting cathedral and many statues and figurines didn’t look religious at all.

lifting his shirt @Bayeux Cathedral

a mural in the crypt @Cathedral of Bayeux

pulpit @Cathedral of Bayeux

The historic center was very inviting to stroll around for a bit. Lots of shops and little cafés invited us to sit down for a while and process the deceit of William the Conqueror.

a café along the river Aure @Bayeux

What you shouldn’t miss while walking along the river Aure is the smallest house in all of France. It is kind of funny that we passed it by chance. I am sure if we had looked for it, we would have missed it. On the picture above it is the house with the white umbrella in front. It does look small with its one window on the upper floor. But only when we stood in front did I see the plaque.