Avranches

French town in the département of Manche, Normandy; population (1990) 9,500. Situated on a hill, the town overlooks the estuary of the River Sée. Horse breeding, leatherwork, and fishing are the main industries.

Avranches was the seat of a bishop from the 6th century until 1801. The town's cathedral, once considered the finest in Normandy, in which Henry II of England received absolution for the murder of Thomas à Becket, was demolished 1790 because the building was crumbling. In World War II the town was seized by US forces after the D-day landings 1944.