In the commencement of the VIth century, Rouen possessed a bishop of
this name. At first, it might be natural to think that this bishop was
the patron of the church of Saint-Sever; but it is not so. The following
legend, is the history of this foundation, in a few words.
In the reign of Richard Ist, third duke of Normandy, two ecclesiastics
of Rouen made a pilgrimage to the sepulchre of Saint-Sever, bishop of
Avranches. The body of the saint was deposited in the neighbourhood of
_Mont-Saint-Michel_, in a church surrounded by forests. A priest lived
alone in the neighbourhood. The two ecclesiastics, from an excess of
devotion resolved to carry away the remains of the bishop. The priest
heard of it and put a stop to their enterprise. They returned to Rouen,
and humbly begged Richard, whose consent they easily obtained to
authorize the removal of the remains, and in spite of the tears and
remonstrances of the inhabitants, they carried off the holy relics,
which they forwarded to Rouen. The procession rested at the hamlet of
Emendreville (now the suburb of Saint-Sever). Here the miracle, which
had already been shown several times on the road, was renewed again,
that is to say, the shrine which contained the remains of the saint
became so heavy, that it was impossible to raise it, until they had made
a vow to build a chapel on that spot; such is the origin of the church
of Saint-Sever. Till then this place had been called Emendreville. It
retained that denomination about four centuries afterwards; but at last
it took the name of the saint, in whose honour the parochial church had
been built. The present church was consecrated on the 27th january
1538. Neither its interior or exterior offer any thing worthy of notice.