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Comfortably resting among its green lawns, the Manor of the Bishops of Lisieux looks like
an enchanted castle. The Manor is named after the Bishops because of this
small head sculpted in the wood at the entrance of the Manor. For Alain, this
sculpture is the center point of many legends. "We think that the Fossey family, who were
the owners of the Manor in the 15th century, wanted to honor their predecessors the
Bishops of Lisieux, by sculpting a bishop's head. The head is the object
of many myths; some say that it is the head of the Bishop
Cochon, who, as we all know, was the one who sentenced Joan of Arc." Built in between the 13th
and 15th centuries, the Manor embodies all the beauty and charm of the architecture
of Normandy. The Manor is especially recognizable thanks to its half-timbered buildings
and its sloping roofs. The Manor was built on the ruins
of a small fort from the Middle Ages. The characteristic eight-sided tower on the Manor is one of the last of its age.
At the end of the Middle Ages, the Manor of the Bishops of Lisieux became the center of a
vast agricultural estate. Here, cider was made in this huge cider presser,
which is one of the largest in the region. "The apples would come down from the apple attic.
There's a huge apple attic that could hold tons and tons of
apples. They would fall here in the middle, and a man would come and spread them out,
and they would harness a horse to the grindstone, which, as it turned, would grind the apples." With its
charming architecture, the Manor of the Bishops of Lisieux is a pearl of the Auge
region. We can see it today as it was 500 years ago, and it is
apple of Alain's eye. "One fine morning, we found out that the Manor was
for sale. And, on a whim, we bought it. There was lots of renovation that needed to be done,
and for thirty something years now, I am willingly pouring lots of money into the conservation
of the Manor. But I feel that it's worth the trouble, because I tell myself that I can
give it to future generations. The Manor is officially a historic monument. It really has
a history, a past, and I think it's a good thing that I'm doing." The Manor of the
Bishops of Lisieux is a little jewel. It is an architectural beauty that does not deserve to be
passed by.