Coutances

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Coutances (Template:IPA; Norman: Couotaunches) is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.

History

American armored and infantry forces pass through Coutances, France, in July 1944

The capital of the Unelli, a Gaulish tribe, the town was given the name of Constantia in 298 during the reign of Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus. The surrounding region, called in Latin the pagus Constantinus, subsequently became known as the Cotentin Peninsula.

The town was destroyed by the invading Normans in 866; they later established settlements and incorporated the whole peninsula into the Duchy of Normandy in 933.

On 17 July 1944, during the Battle of Normandy during World War II, the city was bombed during the Allied offensive against the occupying Germans.

Geography

Climate

Coutances has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Coutances is Template:Cvt. The average annual rainfall is Template:Cvt with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around Template:Cvt, and lowest in January, at around Template:Convert. The highest temperature ever recorded in Coutances was Template:Cvt on 5 August 2003; the coldest temperature ever recorded was Template:Cvt on 17 January 1985. Template:Weather box

Sights

Coutances Cathedral is one of the major buildings of Norman architecture and contains a chapel and stained glass dedicated to Saint Marcouf. The bishop of Coutances exercised ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the Channel Islands until the Reformation, despite the secular division of Normandy in 1204. The final rupture occurred definitively in 1569.

Coutances houses a well-known botanical garden and an art museum.

Jazz festival

Coutances is the location of Jazz sous les pommiers ("Jazz under the apple trees"), an annual jazz festival held since 1982. The festival traditionally takes place during the week of Ascension.

International relations

Coutances is twinned with:

Template:Flagicon Ochsenfurt in Germany Template:Flagicon Troina in Sicily, Italy Template:Flagicon Ilkley in England, United Kingdom

Template:Flagicon Saint Ouen in Jersey, Channel Islands Template:Flagicon La Pocatière in Québec, Canada

See also

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Coutances

References

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