St. Catherine Church has undergone numerous changes over the centuries. It was originally built around the end of the 13th century, in the Occitan Gothic style; several 13th century features remain, such as the holy water stoup. It formed part of the defensive system of town walls and was at the entrance to the village.
During the Wars of Religion in the 16th century, the building was badly damaged, and the church bells were thrown into a well (but they were later retrieved and one was able to be restored).
It was re-roofed and restored during the reign of Henry IV (1589-1610).
Each century since has seen intermittent efforts to restore and improve the church, including a major re-orientation of the building in 1876.
References:La Hougue Bie is a Neolithic ritual site which was in use around 3500 BC. Hougue is a Jèrriais/Norman language word meaning a \'mound\' and comes from the Old Norse word haugr. The site consists of 18.6m long passage chamber covered by a 12.2m high mound. The site was first excavated in 1925 by the Société Jersiaise. Fragments of twenty vase supports were found along with the scattered remains of at least eight individuals. Gravegoods, mostly pottery, were also present. At some time in the past, the site had evidently been entered and ransacked.
In Western Europe, it is one of the largest and best preserved passage graves and the most impressive and best preserved monument of Armorican Passage Grave group. Although they are termed \'passage graves\', they were ceremonial sites, whose function was more similar to churches or cathedrals, where burials were incidental.