Église de Sainte-Mère-Église, Parish church in Sainte-Mère-Église, France

The Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption is a cruciform church whose oldest part is the transept crossing, with four Romanesque pillars and round arches, and a 12th-century tower base. The nave combines a single Romanesque roof with Gothic rib vaults, and the 14th-century choir ends in a flat chevet. The tower sits over the crossing and is capped by a saddleback roof with a 15th-century Flamboyant Gothic balustrade.

The church belonged to the Diocese of Bayeux and was damaged during the Hundred Years' War; its west portal and north aisle were restored in the early 15th century. On the night of 5-6 June 1944, during Operation Albany opening the Battle of Normandy, paratrooper John Steele of the 82nd Airborne Division hung from the bell tower for several hours. The 1962 film The Longest Day made the episode famous.

Since the 1962 film The Longest Day, visitors have asked locals whether they are on the square of the paratrooper's church. The festival committee responded by hanging a mannequin called "Big Jim" from the bell tower in memory of John Steele; its parachute, uniform and equipment are changed twice a year because of the rainy Cotentin climate, and the commune funds a protective paint so it needs changing less often.

The bell tower sits at the crossing of the transept and is topped by a saddleback roof, not a spire; the "Big Jim" mannequin hangs from it on the square. The church is a listed monument in the centre of Sainte-Mère-Église, so it is reached on foot from the town square. The mannequin's parachute, uniform and equipment are replaced twice a year because of the rainy Cotentin climate.

The figure hanging from the bell tower is a mannequin called "Big Jim", installed by the local festival committee after the 1962 film The Longest Day drew tourists asking about the paratrooper's church. Its parachute, uniform and equipment are replaced twice a year because of the rainy Cotentin climate, and the town has budgeted for a protective coating so it needs changing less often.