Cultural Center "Gilbert de Venables"
The origins of Venables name
Since its distant origins, the history of Dives-sur-Mer has been closely linked to the sea. Its Notre Dame de Dives church is contemporary with the adventures of our conquering knight Gilbert where his name is included in the list of companions of William of Normandy . Inside we discover a magnificent stained glass window illustrating a legend surely told in his time to our Knight....
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“ On the sixth day of August in the year one thousand one, fishermen from Dives brought back in their nets a statue of the image of Christ. Surprised by this providential coincidence, these robust men threw themselves on their knees to venerate the pious object. Only one man from the crew abstained from joining the devout demonstrations of his companions and dealt an ax blow to Christ's knees which was cut clean and, oh miracle, red blood came out. The divine action was evident and the unbeliever was converted. This Christ had been sin without a cross and no craftsman was capable of replacing it. It was only after three years and in the same conditions similar to those of Christ's fishing, that a cross was found at sea by fishermen from Cabourg. This adapted marvelously well to the miraculous Christ. Christ and the cross were placed in the ancient chapel of the village of Dives from then on the pilgrimage was founded. » (1)
The Association for the Protection of the Church of Dives sur Mer (ASED (2) ) staged a scene where the boat of the legend took place under the stained glass window of Christ the Holy Savior. This great achievement is the initiative of the members of the association in partnership with CAPAC (3) and especially Eliane works so that all the witnesses of yesterday come back to life and take their place Today. The CCGV is happy to share this initiative and this beautiful legend with all the Venables Families around the world.
Autel restauré par l'ASED
Autel restauré par l'ASED
1) Vincent Carpentier: The church of Dives sur Mer
2) ASED: Association for the Protection of the Church of Dives. https://www.ndml.fr/dives-houlgate/
3) CAPAC: Committee of Friends of Heritage & Coastal Entertainment: https://www.capac-voiletraditionnelle.fr/
the Church of Notre Dame de Dives:
Over the years, the ancient chapel proved to be too small. A Romanesque style building was built thanks to donations from William the Conqueror. Some parts of the 11th century building are still visible: the four pillars of the choir, an arcade and a vault. The church was enlarged in the 14th century, in the radiant Gothic style. During the wars of religion, Christ disappears and the pilgrimage ends. https://www.dives-sur-mer.fr/
The IF
yew belongs to the taxaceae botanical family. These species are already present at the beginning of the Tertiary era, and fossilized footprints even suggest that they already existed in the Triassic (200 million years). It is a resinous, but it has no resin. It is a conifer, but without a cone. It is a tree with highly toxic wood. The only condition is not to consume its seeds (red) and its leaves (dark green) in decoction which contains the taxine[1] highly toxic substance for all causing cardiac arrests. Seen from the outside, its growth is very slow (30 cm in height and 2 mm in diameter per year) and quite chaotic. It is easy to carve which can also help to recognize it. Specimens stand out from the norm by their exceptional longevity. They can reach several hundred years, a height of about 15 to 20m and a circumference of 5 to 10m. Seen from the inside, the sap of the yew passes under the bark and not in the trunk. Because of its longevity and its evergreen character, an ancient belief associated the yew with immortality. He holds a special place in the Celtic-Gallic calendar which dedicated him a particular worship.
When the Romans invaded Gaul, they massively destroyed this tree, wanting to cut down one of the symbols of religious life in Gaul to impose their own. It was gradually driven out of agricultural areas and in particular hedgerows, to find a privileged place in places such as cemeteries where normally the animals did not come to graze. History will do the rest to arrive at the name used for our "Venable" days.
[1] The taxine remains active after cooking, drying or storing the plant. The leaves are the parts of the yew that contain the most. The taxine content rises as the season progresses. It seems at its peak on the withered foliage. Taxine is also found in the seeds which must be chewed to release the poison.