Lessay

French commune
nomcommune=Lessay
Lessay town square
région=Basse-Normandie
département=Manche
arrondissement=Coutances
canton=Lessay
insee=50267
cp=50430
maire=
mandat=
intercomm=
longitude=-1.5294
latitude=49.218
alt moy=10 m
alt mini=5 m
alt maxi=42 m
hectares=2,223
km²=22.23
sans=1,763
date-sans=1999
dens=79
date-dens=1999

Lessay is a commune of the Manche "département", in France.

Geography

Lessay is a small town in the centre of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy.

History

It was originally founded as a monastery but a town grew up around it over the years. The 10th century monastery is one of the greatest examples of Romanesque architecture in Normandy. It was partially destroyed by fighting in the town during July-August 1944.

Points of interest

* LORAN-C transmitter Lessay
* La Foire: the Sainte Croix fair of Lessay is a trade fair established in the 11th century in order to develop commercial activity in the village. For three days in the second week of September, 42 acres of Lessay is transformed into a marketplace, attracting over 400,000 visitors. The fair offers demonstrations of old and new trades, thousands of stalls selling a range of products from household equipment to animals, food, cars and garden and agricultural tools. ["Lessay et son canton à travers les siècles" by Michel Pinel ]

References