Hardinvast Explained

Hardinvast
Commune Status:Commune
Arrondissement:Cherbourg
Canton:Cherbourg-en-Cotentin-3
Insee:50230
Postal Code:50690
Mayor:Guy Amiot[1]
Term:2020 - 2026
Intercommunality:CA Cotentin
Coordinates:49.5794°N -1.6467°W
Elevation M:80
Elevation Min M:67
Elevation Max M:172
Area Km2:7.30

Hardinvast (in French pronounced as /aʁdɛ̃va/) is a commune in the Manche department in north-western France.

History

Toward the end of the 12th century, Eudes de Sottevast was lord and in charge of the place.

In the Middle Ages, from 1325 an anual fair had place in the village in the "Ferrage" (the shoeing), it was called "la foire aux draps" (the fair of sheets/blankets).

In the village there is an old parish, neighbour of the one in Tollevast, but there is not any trace left of the medieval church, only subsist a few rests from a Merovingian necropolis that has been discovered on the heights of the village and are a testimony of a previous occupation of the place.

The church in Hardinvast is actually quite new, especially if you compare it to the 12th century churches of the nearby towns of Tollevast or Martinvast : the construction of the church began in the 17th century and the bell tower is from the start of the 19th century.

In front of the church, under a Brazilian tree, is the tomb of Emmanuel Liais (1826 - 1900) who was a mayor of Cherbourg from 1884 to 1886 and again from 1892 until his death in 1900, he was burried in Hardinvast beacause he owned a house here.

During World War 2, the village was a strong place for the german army with launching pads for V1 and V2 missiles, they where destroyed by Allied bombings in 1944.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Répertoire national des élus: les maires. data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 2 December 2020. fr.