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Show Bayeux, French City; Famous for Tapestry Depicting Norman Conquest of England Bayeux, a small city about six miles from the channel coast of France and 16 miles northwest of Caen, found itself in the news headlines head-lines recently. It was one of the first spots to be captured by the Allies. Al-lies. War has come to it many times in the past. A town of about 7,000 inhabitants, its chief lure before war was the famous Bayeux Tapestry which ranks high among Europe's works of art, says the National Geographic Society. It is a remarkable piece of needlework, 230 feet long and 20 inches wide with 58 scenes a sort of "blueprint" for an invasion of England, depicting in much detail the successful expedition against England by Normandy's most famous fa-mous son, William the Conqueror. For many years the tapestry was displayed in a double glass case in the old Bishop's palace, more recently re-cently the Bayeux town library. Legend has it that Queen Matilda, wife-of William the Conqueror, created cre-ated it with her own needle, but on this historians disagree. Napoleon Napole-on thought so much of the tapestry and its influence on the French people peo-ple that he caused it to be exhibited throughout France to help win support sup-port for his planned invasion of England. Eng-land. Also on tourists' must in Bayeux was the Cathedral, one of the 'famous 'fa-mous landmarks of Normandy. Much of the present edifice was erected more than 700 years ago. History-caressed houses of timber and brick overhung some Bayeux streets. Many dated from the 15th century and imparted a mellow old Norman flavor to the town. |