Coutances

Coutances is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.

History
The capital of the Unelli, a Gaulish tribe, the town was given the name of Constantia in 298 during the reign of Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus. The surrounding region, called in Latin the pagus Constantinus, subsequently became known as the Cotentin Peninsula.

The town was destroyed by the invading Normans in 866; they later established settlements and incorporated the whole peninsula into the Duchy of Normandy in 933.

On 17 July 1944, during the Battle of Normandy during World War II, the city was bombed during the Allied offensive against the occupying Germans.

Climate
Coutances has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Coutances is 11.2 C. The average annual rainfall is 1061.2 mm with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 17.5 C, and lowest in January, at around 5.5 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Coutances was 38.9 C on 5 August 2003; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -14.4 C on 17 January 1985.

Sights
Coutances Cathedral is one of the major buildings of Norman architecture and contains a chapel and stained glass dedicated to Saint Marcouf. The bishop of Coutances exercised ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the Channel Islands until the Reformation, despite the secular division of Normandy in 1204. The final rupture occurred definitively in 1569.

Coutances houses a well-known botanical garden and an art museum.

Jazz festival
Coutances is the location of Jazz sous les pommiers ("Jazz under the apple trees"), an annual jazz festival held since 1982. The festival traditionally takes place during the week of Ascension.

International relations
Coutances is twinned with: