A famous spot in France, abandoned Church of Saint-Étienne-le-Vieux

Amazing and weird fact about Church of Saint-Étienne-le-Vieux:

The existence of St-Etienne-le-Vieux is first recorded in 1066, but it was probably built earlier. It was then that it began to be called "Old" St. Stephen's, because the new church at the adjacent Abbaye aux Hommes was also dedicated to St. Stephen.

The original Romanesque church was destroyed during the English sieges of 1346 and 1417 (the Hundred Years War) and subsequently rebuilt in a Gothic style. During the French Revolution it was used as a stable.

The old church was saved from demolition by Arcisse de Caumont in 1847, but was partly destroyed in a bombing of 1944.

The Church of Saint-Étienne-le-Vieux is a former Roman Catholic church, today partly ruined, located in the old city of Caen, Calvados, France. It is not to be confused with the nearby Church of Saint-Étienne, the former church of the Abbaye aux Hommes. This church has been classified as a monument historique since August 22, 1903.

Location: Caen, arrondissement of Caen, Calvados, Normandy, France

Located at street address: rue Arcisse-de-Caumont