La Croix Saint-Étienne

Granite cross

In the past, stone crosses were erected at crossroads, bearing witness to the past, customs and events experienced by the people of Plain.

The current Saint-Étienne cross dates from 1853.
This cross, located on the side of the road between La Plaine-sur-Mer and Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef, is dedicated to Saint Etienne. Located to the north of the village, it is thought to have stood on the remains of a chapel dedicated to this saint.
These ruins are the first traces of a religious foundation in La Plaine-sur-Mer.
Adjacent to a Gallo-Roman site and an indigenous Gallic farm, this granite cross is believed to cover the foundations of an early Christian church, surrounded by a Merovingian necropolis.
The neighbouring plots are known as Moustrés, suggesting the presence of a primitive monastery, of which there are no remains other than the restored cross.

In 1853, the rector uncovered the foundations of the monastery, which were located on a piece of land belonging to the local schoolteacher, Pierre Laraison. The land ended at the main road from La Plaine to Saint-Michel, where the Billy fief was located.
A small cross, dedicated to Saint Etienne, was built there.
Mr Laraison ceded the site of this former chapel to the "fabrique" to rebuild the chapel and a calvary.

Limited archaeological excavation of the site revealed :


subjects with Frankish features
and a ring decorated with swastika designs.



The Saint-Etienne cross is located 1km north of the town, in the corner between the Boulevard des Nations Unies and the Route de la Frenelle.