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Granville is a Commune of the Manche '' Département '', in France . The town has approximately 15,000 inhabitants. These are termed ''Granvillais''. Administratively, the island of Chausey is part of the commune of Granville. Geography Granville is situated on the Cotentin Peninsula at the mouth of Bosq and Pointe Du Roc ( Cap Lihou ) which in part closes in the north of the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel . History The town was founded in 12th century and was taken several times by the English who strengthened it in 1437 . In 1441 , Louis XI granted a charter so that the town once again became French. During the following centuries, Granville was bombarded by the English in 1645 and 1803 . Furthermore, the town resisted the attacks of the Huguenots in 1695 and Vendean in 1793 . In October 1793 a force of some 25,000 Vendéan troops (followed by thousands of civilians of all ages), commanded by Henri De La Rochejaquelein , headed for the port of Granville where they expected to be greeted by a British fleet and an army of exiled French nobles. Arriving at Granville, they found the walled city surrounded by Republican forces, with no British ships in sight. Their attempts to take the city were unsuccessful. During the retreat the extended columns fell prey to Republican forces. Suffering from hunger and disease, they died in their thousands. Granville once formed part of the Diocese of Coutances , the Parliament of Rouen and the Intendance of Caen . Before the French Revolution , the town had two Parish es: L'église Notre-Dame du Cap Lihou and Saint-Nicolas. This parish was an appendix of Notre-Dame until Saint-Nicolas was set up in 1829 whose territory is regarded as a commune independent of Granville. in 1962, Saint-Nicolas-près-Granville was attached to Granville. It is probable that monks from Mont-Saint-Michel went to the Priory on Lihou during the first half of the 12th century. Sights The old town preserves all the history of its military and religious past. The lower town was partly built on Land Reclaimed from the sea. The upper part of the old town is surrounded by ramparts from the 15th century. These are entered through the Drawbridge (Grand'Porte), the bloody theatre of the "Siège des Vendée ns" in 1793. Inside the walls of the upper town are some beautiful houses of which several are concentrated on Rue Saint-Jean. The ancient church of Notre-Dame du Cap Lihou (1441-1796) which dominates the heights, constitutes an imposing building of the Romanesque style. It was built during the Hundred Years' War out of granite. There is a museum located in one of the gates which preserves invaluable documents enabling visitors to discover the history of the town through the centuries. Miscellaneous Granville was the birthplace of:
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