133. Genêts. Location. The village of Genêts is located on the current coastal road between Granville and Avranches, 6 kilometers north of Avranches. The village is facing Mont Saint-Michel, around 4 kilometers far away. The medieval roads used by pilgrims to go to Mont Saint-Michel started from Saint-Pair-sur-Mer, Coutances, Saint-Lô and Caen to reach Genêts. Then they needed to cross dangerous shores to reach Mont Saint-Michel, their final destination. In addition, the shore road between Saint-Pair and Mont Saint-Michel was crossing Bec d'Andaine, near Genêts.
134. Genêts. The village and its church. The church tower - with its saddleback roof, its balustrade and its gargoyles - emerges above the roofs of the village. Genêts is a very old place. It was the tidal port of Avranches, the capital of the region before its looting by the Norman pirates in the 9th century. The barony of Genêts was given in 1022 to the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel by Richard II, duke of Normandy, as well as the baronies of Saint-Pair and Ardevon. The center of a barony and a deanery, Genêts became an active town under the early Norman dukes. In the early 14th century, there were nearly 3,000 inhabitants, and the church counted seven chapels and a full clergy. This was the most flourishing period. During the Hundred Years War, Genêts was looted, fleeced and burned by the British troops from 1356 on. During the Religion Wars between Catholics and Protestants, Genêts was again sacked in 1562 by the troops of the Protestant Montgomery. During the French Revolution, Genêts lost its juridiction of a seneschal, its sergentery, its deanery, its fairs and its markets, and went from being a town to being a village. The county town became Sartilly. Photo by Alain Dermigny. [Alain-083]
135. Genêts. The church, beautifully made, is the work of Robert Torigni, abbot of Mont Saint-Michel between 1154 and 1186, who built it on the site of an older timeworn church. The Romanesque church was consecrated in 1157 by Herbert, bishop of Avranches, along with Roger, abbot of Bec-Hellouin. The church and cemetery of Genêts were granted the title of (French) Historic Monument in 1959. Photo by Claude Rayon. [Claude-40]