Rouen

We’ve often driven through Rouen, but this time decided to visit as the campsite on the Seine was convenient for both Monet’s garden and Rouen.

It’s an old city dating from pre-Roman times with much history and many old buildings. As we’re unfamiliar with the city we navigated towards the cathedral’s easily visible spire that from 1876 to 1880 was the tallest structure in the world. It’s like a slim Eiffel Tower.

The cathedral front is predictably magnificent, set in a large, open square.

The carvings are unusually intricate as can be seen from close-up detail. These two could almost be weather men; if so then they’re telling us it’s overcast with spots of rain.

There’s been a church on this site since the 4^th century, and the current building was started in the 12^th century. It has been repaired and amended many times for various reasons such as lightning strikes, fires, wars, and improvements. The interior, although fairly bare, retains a pleasant appearance in spite of the many different repairs and upgrades it’s had. This stone staircase looks particularly elegant.

Religious statues are generally carved in solemn, grave style, but occasionally the sculptor sneaks a bit of humanity into his work. Has the guy on his right told St Peter a naughty joke (“Have you heard the one about the actress and the bishop?”), and he’s trying hard not to laugh. Despite what he’s holding, he definitely not keyed up.

Rouen Cathedral is famous for its bells, the heaviest peal in France; one is greeted face-to-face with several of these monsters on entering the nave. They’ve been refurbished, and will be rehung shortly, but in the meantime visitors can see and touch these huge bells that will soon be chiming out hundreds of feet above us. It was a striking encounter, you might say.

We came unexpectedly upon the next building around a quadrangle, called the Atrium of Saint Maclou. 

It is. or rather was, an ossuary, a place to store the bones of the dead. It came about as a result of the plague outbreak in 1348 when a large proportion of Rouen’s population was wiped out. A huge pit was dug, where the central courtyard is, into which all the bodies were placed regardless of status.

The bones remained in the pit until a second outbreak of plague in the 16^th century that also devastated the inhabitants. The original pit was full, and now they needed space for more bodies, so in 1526 the cloisters that now surround this courtyard were built to house the old bones; the pit would then be available for the recent victims. Wouldn’t it have been easier to dig a new pit? Anyway, this is part of the wonderful medieval structure they raised.

There are many different carvings in the woodwork right around the rectangle appropriate to its purpose: skulls, bones, gravediggers tools etc.

This unique set of buildings is showing signs of decay although was occupied by the Fine Arts School until recent years, the bones having been removed and buried several centuries previously, as were the bones in the central pit. However, any modern excavations immediately uncover bones so the removal wasn’t very thorough. It must be a popular spot of dog-walkers. 

Wandering off, we strolled through many medieval streets like the one below.

We stopped to look at the Law Courts. The building dates back to 1499 and has been used as a royal palace, the exchequer and the Normandy Houses of Parliament. It was badly damaged in the last war but has been expertly restored.

We were making for the Joan of Arc memorial church, but first had to pass under the Gros Horloge arch, that’s the Big Clock. It’s one of the oldest in France and has a movement dating from 1389. It’s a beautiful old timepiece, difficult to read the time; but does it matter.

Joan of Arc is associated with Rouen because she was burnt at the stake here. In this square. She is one of the few foreign heroes we know in the UK perhaps because we, the English, captured her and condemned her to that terrible fate.

The Church of St Joan was built in this square in 1979 amid much controversy. It does look unconventional, but seems to work both inside and out. This is the interior with stained glass windows telling the story of the life of Saint Joan.

Rouen had more to see than we could fit in during one day, although it is largely an industrial city and the area of interest is confined to what is left of the old city. Maybe an overcast day didn’t help, but the old town seemed somewhat run-down and, although interesting, could be presented as an historic gem given some investment and tlc.

Tomorrow: the tunnel, and home.