10/09/2026
Just before the Bayeux Museum closed for two years of renovation, I had the privilege of seeing the Bayeux Tapestry one last time in Normandy, almost alone with this extraordinary, nearly 1,000-year-old masterpiece.
Today, it is wonderful to see the incredible enthusiasm surrounding its presentation at the British Museum in London.
Moving such a fragile work was an extraordinary conservation challenge. Following its journey, only two broken threads were reported across nearly 70 metres of embroidery, a remarkably limited impact considering the scale and delicacy of the operation.
Congratulations are therefore due to the conservators, restorers, technicians and specialists who made this exceptional journey possible.
For us in Rouen, Normandy, France, the story has a very particular resonance.
Our research into the ruins of Saint-Pierre-du-Châtel has led us to identify the site as that of the chapel of the lower bailey of Rollon’s castle, a location also envisaged by historian Jacques Le Maho.
Rollon founded the Norman dynasty from which William the Conqueror descended.
So, from the site of Rollon’s castle in Rouen to the story of William’s conquest embroidered at Bayeux, the connection spans generations of Norman history.
And as for Bayeux… the appointment is already made.
See you when the museum reopens!
