The remains of the ancient haven of Vierville

A cutout of La Renaissance du Bessin, hand-annotated "19/8/2005", invites you to discover the old port of Vierville, less famous than the beach and the artificial port of 1944. Its title places this haven about four hundred years ago. The newspaper recalls that a haven is a small natural or artificial port, hosting boats, passengers and goods.

The walk is short, because the remains are modest and easy to miss. From Cauvigny Boulevard, the stones visible on the beach are presented as a piece of the west pier. A corresponding pier would have been about ten meters further east, to the right while looking at the sea. Between the two, a pass would have given access to a stranding basin of about 1,500 square meters, according to the reconstruction mentioned in the article.

The newspaper places Vierville in a tight network of small havens, including those of the Dune in Géfosse, Cricqueville and Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes. They facilitated cabotage and access to the hinterland. Despite the wars, old ties existed with England. Manufactured products and other goods were shipped or landed to be distributed in the rich neighboring strongholds, including Trévières and Colombières.

The evocation then revives the English pilgrims climbing the valley from the beach to take the road to Santiago de Compostela. Their first stages were to lead them to Cerisy, with stops in welcoming houses marked by discreet signs. A photograph shows a scallop shell on a Vierville mansion, interpreted as one of these landmarks. Sailors, workers and watchmen complete this imaginary picture of activities regulated by the tides.

The cut leaves an open question: did the siltation cause the disappearance of the port's activities, or did their stop favor its silting? Finally, it refers to the historical site vierville.free.fr to continue the discovery.

Reconstructed or uncertain passages:
- The handwritten year reads 2005 on the image, and not 2025 as in the OCR.
- The dimensions, the identification of the piers, the pilgrimage routes and the interpretation of the shell are reported by this article; no detailed documentary reference is attached.
- The title "400 years ago" is an approximate landmark of the publication and does not allow an exact date of construction to be attributed to the har.

Archive image: https://vierville.cordelle.eu/PhDoc11/RB2005-Port.jpg