Church of Our Lady of the Nativity, a photo from Basse-Normandie, North

Photographer's Note

Bernières-sur-Mer is a French commune, located in the department of Calvados and Basse-Normandie region. In 2008 it had a population of 2351 inhabitants known as Bernièrais. A seaside town, it is sited on the Côte de Nacre some seventeen kilometres (ten miles) east of Caen.

During the Allied landings in Normandy in June 1944, Bernières-sur-Mer was in the Nan sector of Juno Beach, the second heaviest fortified beach after Omaha Beach. German General Wilhelm Richter commanded the 716th Division guarding the region with eleven 155mm guns and nine 75 mm. The taking of this area was assigned to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division commanded by Major General Rodney Keller. Major Keller died in 1954 during a visit to Normandy.

On 6 June 1944, with the commando Kieffer, Le Régiment de la Chaudière was the only francophone regiment to participate in the Normandy landings. Commanded by Lieutenant Paul Mathieu of Quebec, the French-Canadian regiment landed at Bernières-sur-Mer after the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada and surprised the locals who did not expect to meet French-speaking troops. At the end of the next day, the Canadian Forces, (21500 men, excluding losses) met up with the British forces who had taken Sword Beach. Canadian casualties (dead, wounded, missing) were about a thousand.

A part of the village along the beachfront was reconstructed after the Second World War. The historic part of the village around the church, which lies slightly further inland survived largely unscathed. The commune was designated a "commune touristique" in September 2010.

The above information was extracted and freely translated from an article about the commune on the French Wikipedea site.

besnard, Budapestman, macondo, jhm, lakshmip1949, delpeoples, jlbrthnn, Royaldevon, saxo042, gildasjan, Graal has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Nicou (97727) 2012-09-11 0:40

Hello

merveilleuse iamge et cpatage de cette église superbe compo quel clocher imposante dans ce beau ciel cette architecture, fantastique.

Bravo et amitié

Nicou

besnard (48793) 2012-09-11 0:53

Bonjour Stephen
Un bon cliché de cette église au toit couvert de mousse et au clocher imposant.
Amitiés et bonne journée.
Nicole

Budapestman (82620) 2012-09-11 1:10

Hi Stephen, Welcome back!
a splendid photo of this beautiful church with very nice composition, the architectural details are beautiful, attractive lights and the POV is excellent, Tfs! Have a nice week! Kellemes hetet kívánok!
György

dta (51454) 2012-09-11 1:22

Hello Stephen,
Un beau clocher de pierres qui s'élance dans le ciel nuageux . J'aime la douce lumière et les teintes pastel .
Amicalement

Silvio1953 (98183) 2012-09-11 1:30

Ciao Stephen, great view of fantastic architecture, good contrast against Grey sky, splendid light, excellent clarity and wonderful soft colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

macondo (17949) 2012-09-11 3:16

Hi Stephen.
A very impressive architecture photo, taking in the whole of the tower in the narrow vertical crop. It has a satisfying degree of contrast and detail, and the composition allows a view of the other village buildings in the background. Interesting note. I think I might have missed Juno beach when visiting the Normandy coast a couple of years ago.
Regards,
Andrew

jhm (122458) 2012-09-11 3:51

Bonjour Stephen,

These area has a lot to make with WAR II, a lot young people will soon not know more.
A very nice picture of the tower, excellent rebuilt after WAR II.
Perfect depth and perspective picture.
Composition and presentation are excellent taken.
Very well done, TFS.

Amitiés,
John

lakshmip1949 (19110) 2012-09-11 3:57

Hello Stephen,

A beautiful vertical image showing the church with the rising tower. The colors are very soft and attractive . Nice peaceful atmosphere. Nice color contrast with the sky.

Lakshmi

delpeoples (44960) 2012-09-11 4:20

Salut cher Stephen

A most fascinating history this place has, both recent and times long ago. The architecture is beautiful and I like the rich colours and textures you have obtained from the church. Great choice with the vertical frame too and thanks for your edifying note.

Bonne amitiés et belle journée
Lisa

timecapturer (30334) 2012-09-11 4:25

Hi Stephen
magnificent shot of this amazing spire. A perfect composition and execution with exquisite detail and colouring. Subtle lighting that makes it all the more serene and impressive. Love it!

Regards - Brian.

jlbrthnn (79773) 2012-09-11 4:40

Bonjour Stephen,
Tu as réussi habilement à faire tenir l'église et son clocher dans la photo. La lumière et les couleurs sont très bonnes. Le cadrage et la netteté sont parfaits. Bravo.
Bonne journée
Amicalement
Joël

Sergiom (39259) 2012-09-11 5:22

Bonjour Stephen

Un beau cadrage vertical bien réussi qui va chercher les belles de vert sur le toit de l'église et aussi sur le clocher. De très beaux détails bien nets.

Amicalement

Serge

Royaldevon (17791) 2012-09-11 7:48

Hello Stephen,

This is a particularly beautiful church, with its fine, tall tower having lovely tall, arched windows and decorations. It looks extremely regal against the cloudy sky, which emphasises its stature. A nice, sharp exposure.
I like how you have included the road, with a hint of the buildings beyond, which gives depth and perspective to your shot.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

saxo042 (31802) 2012-09-11 8:50

Hi Stephen,
This photo gives an impression of an old hand-coloured picture postcard. There is a very timeless and nostalgic mood here. Luckily no modern cars that would ruin the view. A very impressive church and a very good note.
Kind regards
Gunnar

wolf38 (28190) 2012-09-11 9:09

Hi Stephen. What a magnificent church. Particularly the tower is colossal. Title, Photo and text complement each other perfectly. Well done. Rgds wolfgang.

gildasjan (38220) 2012-09-11 10:24

Bonsoir Stephen
Le clocher parait énorme par rapport aux autres éléments de l'architecture de cette église.Les lichens ont donné de belles teintes sur les différentes toitures de cet édifice.
Bonne soirée
Amicalement
gildas

Gerrit (43743) 2012-09-11 13:27

Hi Stephen,
great shot of the majestic tower and the moss covered roofs.
reagrds, Gerrit

Fis2 (73114) 2012-09-11 13:38

Witaj Stephen!
Beautiful tower!
Good frame and interesting colors.
Excellent work.
I like it.
Best regards
Krzysztof

dkmurphys (36819) 2012-09-12 3:08

Bonjour Stephen,
I like the green tones of this old church. Impressive tower, great architecture overall.
Enjoy a fine day.

Daniel

Graal (88908) 2012-09-12 23:53

Hi Stephen,
amazing and very nice tower of church. Good presentation. Nice gothic elements of architecture. Well note and photowork.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

emka (58152) 2012-09-13 23:24

Hi Stephen,

beautiful church, Gothic or maybe Romanesque nicely presented here. Well composed picture, with nice colours and sharpness. Lovely small rose window.

Warm regrads

MAlgo