Rouen has so much that I have separated it into two posts. The first is on Rouen itself and the second has to do with Rouen’s connections with Joan of Arc.
Founded by the Gaulish tribe of the Veliocasses (also known as the Vexin), Rouen was second only to Lyon. Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, the city prospered and built both an amphitheater and baths. The foundations of both remain.
By the time of the Viking raids, beginning in 841, the Normans took over Rouen and made it their capital until William the Conqueror moved the capital to Caen. During the Hundred Years’ War Rouen kept changing hands between England and France and ended up being the site of the imprisonment, trial and execution of Joan of Arc.
Rouen was heavily damaged by bombs during World War II with the cathedral being heavily hit.
For our excursion into Rouen, we were docked between the Pont Boieldieu and the Pont Comeille on the same side of the Seine as the cathedral. It was easy to see the spire directly in line with our ship.
We came up to the city at the Pont Comeille. This was an area that had been quite heavily bombed and was mostly modern. As we headed north and a little bit east, the buildings became older until we were immersed in an original, medieval section of the city.
We briefly visited the Church of Saint-Maclou. It was a 15th century church that incorporated a previous, neglected 14th century church. The interior decorations were rather macabre as the previous church had been consecrated during the time of the Black Death. At that time, the Black Death was the deadliest plague in history with an estimated 75 – 200 million deaths over a five year span.
From there we headed over towards the Rouen Cathedral, visiting a couple very narrow, pedestrian-only, intact medieval streets along the way. We also stopped at the Historical Jeanne d’Arc, which was in the Archbishop’s Palace next to the cathedral and had been the site of Joan of Arc’s trial. More about that in the next post.
After entering through a very, very old door that we entered through a courtyard, we spent quite a bit of time in the cathedral.
Christianity first came to Rouen in about 260. The first church was believed to have been close to or under the present cathedral. In 395, a large basilica was built on the same site.
The cathedral was enlarged in 650 and visited by Charlemagne in 769. However, the Viking raids caused a great deal of damage.
The first Duke of Normandy was the Viking leader, Rollo. He was baptized in the cathedral in 915 and buried there in 932. His grandson enlarged it again in 950.
In the 1020s, parts of the cathedral were rebuilt in the Romanesque style. William the Conqueror was present at the consecration shortly before his conquest of England.
In the 12th century, a complete reconstruction of the cathedral was undertaken in the new Gothic style. This style tended to fill the space with light.
During the 16th century some Renaissance features were added and some repairs made. The Western façade (later painted by Monet) was tilting, so it was completely reconstructed in an extremely ornate Flamboyant style with lots of lacelike stone tracery and hundreds of sculpted figures. Buttresses were also added.
During repairs made after World War II, excavations were also done under and around the cathedral. Vestiges of the previous versions of the building were found.
We had some free time in the cathedral. So I wandered around looking at some of the old tombs, including Rollo. I also checked out some of the chapels, including Joan of Arc.
When we left the cathedral, we were shown the building where Monet stayed while painting his series of the Western façade. It is now the Office de Tourisme.
We then had the 14th century astronomical clock (Gros Horloge) pointed out from a distance before taking a detour to see the Palais de Justice. When we walked back down to the Rue du Gros Horloge, we could see the clock close up from a different angle.
There were loads of museums in Rouen which we didn’t have time to visit. We were heading for the Market Square, also known as the Place du Vieux Marche. There was a very large market where all kinds of items could be purchased. Several shops and cafes were located in the buildings that lined the square as well. This was the location of the execution of Joan of Arc.
Next time – the Rouen of Joan of Arc
