France Guide
Normandy
The Bayeux Tapestry
Opening time: Daily: mid-March to April & Sept– Oct 9am–6.30pm; May– Aug 9am–7pm; Nov to mid-March 9.30am–12.30pm & 2–6pm; last admission 45 minutes before closing
Price: €7.70
Housed in an impressive eighteenth-century seminary on rue de Nesmond, the Bayeux Tapestry – also known to the French as the Tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde – is a seventy-metre strip of embroidered linen that recounts the story of the Norman conquest of England. Although created over nine centuries ago, the brilliance of its coloured wools has barely faded, and the tale is enlivened throughout with parallel scenes of medieval life, popular fables and mythical beasts; the skill of its draughtsmanship, and the sheer vigour and detail, are stunning. The work is thought to have been carried out by monks or nuns in England, commissioned by Bishop Odo, William's half-brother, in time for the inauguration of Bayeux cathedral in 1077.
Visits are well planned and highly atmospheric, although the order of them changes frequently. At the time of writing, visits began with a look at the tapestry itself, with an interesting audio-guided commentary explaining the events depicted so vividly on the canvas. The tapestry looks – and reads – like a modern comic strip. Harold is every inch the villain, with his dastardly little moustache and shifty eyes. He looks extremely self-satisfied as he breaks his oath to accept William as king of England and seizes the throne for himself, but his come-uppance swiftly follows, as William, the noble hero, crosses the Channel and defeats the English armies at Hastings. After this comes an exhibition detailing the theories surrounding the whys and wherefores of the tapestry's creation, and explaining more about its turbulent history, followed by a film – which it would make far more sense to see before the tapestry itself – (shown in English at least once an hour during the summer months) giving some of the historical background and bringing the events of the tapestry to life.