The name Villedieu-les-Poêles means Town-of-God-the-frying-pans, and if you need pots and pans, you couldn’t go to a better place. The town is full of little workshops where coppersmiths hammer away at all sorts of vessels in copper, brass and pewter. Their products are very much sought after by culinary chefs all over the world.In early times it was a hamlet depending on Henry the 1st, duke of Normandy and King of England. In 1130 the land was given to the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem – becoming the Order of the Knights of Malta two centuries later. The knights built an hospice and all the territory belonging to it was named Villedieu. Favoured with numerous privileges, the order established a colony of copper craftsmen.