Fécamp

▪ France

      seaside resort and fishing port of northern France, Seine-Maritime département, Haute-Normandie région, northeast of Le Havre. It lies at the opening of the valley of the Valmont River, between high cliffs. In the 11th century Fécamp became famous for its Benedictine abbey, which, before the growth of the fame of Mont-Saint-Michel, was the foremost pilgrimage centre in Normandy. The abbey of the Trinity, which was destroyed by lightning, was rebuilt between the 12th and 13th centuries and was restored in the 15th and 18th centuries. It is an impressive building with a lantern tower 275 feet (84 metres) high. There is also a distillery in the town where Benedictine, the liqueur originally produced by local monks, continues to be made. A museum in the distillery is open to the public. The north Atlantic cod fisheries formerly gave the town some prosperity, but this has passed now to Le Havre. The town, popular as a seaside resort since the 1920s, has a casino, sports facilities, and a good beach. Pop. (1999) 20,987; (2005 est.) 19,900.

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