Church of Saint-Pierre, Caen

The Church of Saint-Pierre is a Roman Catholic church located on the Place Saint-Pierre in the centre of Caen in Normandy, northern France. It is dedicated to Saint Peter. Known as Saint-Pierre of Darnetal, Saint-Pierre-sous-Caen, Saint-Pierre-du-Châtel, Saint-Pierre-en-Rive, this church, often mistakenly called by the tourists "the cathedral", as it was the largest religious building of Bourg-le-Roi; special care was therefore given to its development. The construction of the present building took place between the early 13th and the 16th centuries. It was in this church that during the Middle Ages the main public ceremonies took place. For example, when Henri IV abjured the Protestant religion, putting an end to religious wars, it was in St Peter's Church that the Te Deum was sung in the presence of the civil and religious representatives of the whole city. The spire of the church was destroyed on 9 June 1944 by a shell fired at German forces from the Royal Navy battleship HMS Rodney, and has since been rebuilt. The eastern apse of the church was built by Hector Sohier between 1518 and 1545.