Port-en-Bessin and Sainte-Honorine: views from before 1944

An association was formed on a Friday to save the ruins of the Saint-Siméon chapel in Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes. The article, published on April 23, 2013, presents the initiative of Jacques Houssin and his wife Odile.

It traces a history marked by destruction: a first medieval chapel carried away by the sea, a Gothic reconstruction in honor of Saint Simeon with the blessing of Saint Louis, then a new collapse in the waves. A third chapel would have known the revolutionary unrest. Rebuilt in 1860 a little further inland, on stable ground, it had been shaken by a bomb in June 1944.

The chapel was once a place of processions. A legend reports that Saint Simeon healed his bloody feet in the flowing fountain at the head of the building. The healing virtues given to this water are part of this tradition and the personal conviction of the witness, not of an established medical efficacy.

Jacques Houssin explained that he discovered the ruins during a walk when he was seriously ill. After overcoming the disease, he wanted to act to protect them. He had requested the Conservatoire du littoral, the mayor and Father Fabrice of the parish, then created with Odile the Saint Siméon Association.

The donations had to be sent to the town hall of Sainte-Honorine. The project consisted of clearing the site and consolidating the walls, while maintaining the state of ruin. The work required equipped companies. The president wanted a start-up for the seventieth anniversary of the Landing.

The constituent assembly adopted the statutes and elected Jacques Houssin as president, Michel Cornu vice-president, Odile Houssin secretary, Didier Digne deputy secretary and Jean-Marc Helm treasurer. At least five additional members were then to join the team.