Church of Saint-Gervais and Saint-Protais (Église Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais)

This Romanesque church was commissioned by William the Conqueror after his 1066 victory in England and completed by his son Henry I in 1134. The building sits on Place Guillaume le Conquérant in the north of Falaise, linking it directly to the Norman duke's birthplace. Visitors can admire the 12th-century tower-lantern, wooden-vaulted nave, and exceptional carved capitals on the south pillars featuring rare secular rather than religious themes. The church survived the 1204 siege when Philip Augustus conquered Normandy, burning during the Wars of Religion in 1562, and heavy WWII bombing in August 1944 that destroyed the roof and collapsed the bell tower. Post-war restoration in 1950-1960 created a luminous interior, and in 1986 neoclassical décor was removed from the choir to reveal original Romanesque arcades. Modern stained glass windows by Le Chevalier (1980) add color to the space. Entry is free, and the church remains an active place of worship.